Solmaz Hassanzadeh, the sister of Mohammad Hassanzadeh, a protester killed during the Women, Life, Freedom anti-government uprising in Bukan, West Azerbaijan Province, has been sentenced to one year in prison on charges of “propaganda against the state”.

She was tried by Branch 101 of Bukan Criminal Court Two, presided over by Judge Mehdi Fakhri, and was informed of the verdict last month.

Hassanzadeh and her father, Ahmad Hassanzadeh, were arrested on 30 July as they were preparing to celebrate Mohammad’s birthday. Security forces entered the house without a warrant and assaulted family members before taking them into custody.

Following her arrest, Hassanzadeh was placed in solitary confinement in Orumiyeh Central Prison and went on hunger strike on 6 August to protest her imprisonment.

On 13 August, she was provisionally released on bail of five billion rials (nearly 7,000 USD).

Mohammad Hassanzadeh was fatally stabbed during the Women, Life, Freedom protests in Bukan on 16 November 2022.

While the security forces claimed to have arrested a person for his murder, the Hassanzadeh family dismissed this as a fabrication and held the security forces responsible for their son’s death.

Over the past year, members of the Hassanzadeh family have been repeatedly summoned and detained by the security services for their pursuit of justice.