The disciplinary committee of the University of Ilam, in western Iran, has banned Negar Davoudi, a software engineering student, from her studies for three semesters over her participation in the recent anti-government protests in the city.
On 19 December 2022, the Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Ilam sentenced Davoudi to two years in jail, a two-year ban on international travel, a year of community service and 200 hours of mandatory participation in Quran interpretation classes.
The court charged Davoudi with “assembly and collusion with the intention of acting against national security”.
Separately, the Branch 103 of the Criminal Court of Ilam sentenced her to three months of imprisonment and 74 lashes on charges of “disrupting public order”.
According to the verdict, due to Davoudi’s clean criminal record, the sentence of three months in prison and 74 lashes was converted into a fine of 240 million Iranian Rials – nearly 500 USD.
In late February, the Branch Six of the Appeals Court of Ilam province upheld the Islamic Revolutionary Court’s decision sentencing the Kurdish student to two years of imprisonment and other additional penalties.
“Although the appeal document pointed out in detail the flaws in form, and violation of the various principles and standards of criminal proceedings, unfortunately, the Appeals Court has upheld the ruling issued by the Revolutionary Court without considering any of these points”, said Davoudi’s lawyer Mostafa Ahmadian in an interview with the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).
Ahmadian continued: “The imposition of numerous additional penalties in the case could be strongly criticised. The rights of the accused and the rule of proportionality should be respected in the application of these punishments. Both in the Revolutionary Court and the Criminal Court, two relatively severe supplementary punishments have been imposed on my client, which is a double punishment.”
The lawyer added: “Although my client can now be included in the plan based on the [recent] amnesty decree by giving a written commitment, giving a commitment by the convicted person is somehow against the philosophy of amnesty and forgiveness and leads to loss of pride and dignity of the person.”
Davoudi, who is a student of software engineering at the University of Ilam, was detained at her family home on 15 November 2022 and was taken to the detention centre of the Ministry of Intelligence in the city.
After seven days of interrogation and torture, she was first transferred to the women’s ward of Ilam Central Prison and then temporarily released on a bail of 500 million Tomans – nearly 10,000 USD – pending trial.
