Kurdish wrestler Shahryar Mohammadi Berimanlou, detained during January protest, sentenced to two years in prison

Hengaw – Saturday, August 8, 2026

Shahryar Mohammadi Berimanlou, a 20-year-old Kurdish wrestler who was arrested during the January 2026 protests in Bojnord, has been sentenced to two years in prison by the North Khorasan Provincial Court of Appeals.

According to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the appellate court’s ruling was formally communicated to Mohammadi Berimanlou in July 2026. He is expected to report to Bojnord Prison in the coming days to begin serving his sentence.

Sources familiar with the case said Mohammadi Berimanlou was initially sentenced by Branch 2 of the Bojnord Revolutionary Court to four years and eight months in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion against national security” and “propaganda against the state.” Following an appeal filed by his lawyer, the North Khorasan Court of Appeals reduced the sentence to two years’ imprisonment.

Mohammadi Berimanlou was arrested by Iranian security forces without the presentation of a judicial warrant on January 9, 2026, and taken to an undisclosed location. After spending eight days in detention, he was released from Bojnord Prison on bail pending the conclusion of judicial proceedings.

He was also denied the right to legal counsel of his own choosing during the initial trial proceedings.