Mother of Slain Activist Receives Six-Year Detention Sentence

Hengaw: Saturday, February 3, 2024

Bahareh Shiri, a resident of Semirom (Isfahan province) and the mother of the late Ali Abbasi, a participant in the Woman, Life, Freedom (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement, has been sentenced to six years of detention by the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Bahareh Shiri, one of the plaintiff mothers in Semirom, recently received a five-year penal detention sentence for "inciting the people to disrupt public security" and an additional year for "propaganda against the government" charges from the first branch of the Semirom Court.

Applying the law of consolidation of sentences, the full five-year penal detention term is enforceable for Bahareh Shiri. Notably, half of the imposed verdict has been suspended.

Disturbingly, Bahareh Shiri was denied the fundamental right to legal representation throughout all stages of her trial.

Ali Abbasi, a 24-year-old athlete, lost his life to direct gunshots from Islamic Republic of Iran forces in Semirom city during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement on November 16, 2022, shortly after completing his compulsory military service. The sentencing of his mother raises concerns about the treatment of families seeking justice for their loved ones and highlights the need for scrutiny on human rights issues in the region.