Nazila Maroofian, a Kurdish journalist from Saqqez based in Tehran, has been sentenced to one year in prison by Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in the capital.
The court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, convicted her on charges of “propaganda against the state” and “conspiracy to disrupt national security”.
In addition to the prison sentence, Maroofian was ordered to pay a fine of 150 million rials – nearly 300 USD.
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that Maroofian, who has been arrested for the fourth time since the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising began, was officially informed of the verdict after being transferred to the court from the women’s ward of Evin Prison.
The sentence is believed to be related to a case filed against her two months ago, while the status of another case pending at the Evin Security Prosecutor’s Office remains unknown.
During a recent visit by her family on 3 September, physical evidence of injuries resulting from her arrest, including visible bruising, was observed on her body, KHRN has learned.
Maroofian began a hunger strike on 1 September to protest her detention and demand her unconditional release.
In a letter to the prison authorities, she also called for the punishment of the officers who physically abused her during her arrest.
On 30 August, security forces broke into the journalist’s home in Tehran, where they beat and arrested her.
Following her arrest, Tasnim News Agency, an outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that Maroofian had been detained by the Ershad (Moral Guidance) court on charges of “promoting obscenity”.
“Appearing in inappropriate clothing in public places and sharing these images on social media are among the reasons given by the Guidance Court for her arrest,” the media outlet added.
Due to injuries sustained during her arrest, Maroofian was briefly transferred to a hospital in Tehran on 31 August before being returned to the women’s ward of Evin Prison.
In recent weeks, Maroofian received threats from Ministry of Intelligence agents, who warned her of further arrests if she continued her social media activities.
Previously, on 14 August, Maroofian was arrested less than 24 hours after her temporary release, allegedly for “sharing a photo without the obligatory hijab and raising her hand in a victory gesture”.
The journalist was beaten and arrested by security forces before being transferred to Qarchak Prison in Tehran. She was released on bail after two days.
Earlier on 4 July, security forces raided Maroofian’s home in Tehran and confiscated some of her personal belongings, including her mobile phone and laptop.
Security officials had additionally instructed her to appear at the Evin Prosecutor’s Office on 8 July.
After her visit to the Evin Prosecutor’s Office, Maroofian was arrested and sent to Ward 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran.
Following the conclusion of the interrogation phase, she was relocated to the women’s ward within Evin Prison.
On 13 August, the journalist was released on bail of 3 billion rials – nearly 60,000 USD.
Maroofian was also beaten and dragged on the ground by security forces at Tehran’s Valiasr Square on 20 June.
The journalist was arrested on 30 October 2022 on the orders of the Security Prosecutor’s Office located in Evin Prison for publishing interviews with Jina Mahsa Amini’s father, and was pressured and threatened by interrogators to obtain forced “confessions”.
She suffered two mild heart attacks and was briefly hospitalized at Mofatteh Hospital in the city of Ray, Tehran province, before being returned to prison.
On 9 January, Maroofian was released from Qarchak Prison, Tehran province, on a bail of 6 billion Iranian rials – nearly 12,000 USD.
In January, Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced Maroofian to two years in prison, a fine of 150 million rials, and a five-year ban on leaving Iran.
The charges against Maroofian included “propaganda against the state” and “publishing lies with the intention of disturbing the public mind” by publishing interviews with Jina Mahsa Amini’s father.
The journalist’s two-year sentence was suspended for five years, according to the verdict.
