Arrest
Kianoush Cheraghi, a former employee of the Dehloran Social Security Office, was arrested twice between 27 September and 3 October 2023 for posts on his personal Instagram page commemorating the anniversary of the anti-government Women, Life, Freedom uprising. He was released on bail on 7 October 2023.
Judicial Process
In October 2023, Branch Two of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Ilam, presided over by Judge Reza Salahaddini, sentenced him to one year in prison on charges of “propaganda against the state”.
In a separate case, on 6 November 2023, Branch 101 of the Dehloran Criminal Court sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment and additional penalties for “spreading false information with the intention of disturbing public opinion through online platforms”.
Current Status
On 24 March 2024, Cheraghi was again arrested and sent to Ilam Central Prison after being summoned by the Enforcement of Judgements Office of the Dehloran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office.
Additional Information
In September 2024, he was released with an electronic ankle tag while serving his two-year sentence in Ilam Prison.
On 16 February 2025, security forces raided his home in Dehloran and severely beat him as he was being transferred to prison.
On 16 February 2025, he went on a dry hunger strike, protesting the revocation of his electronic ankle tag and the physical assault he suffered during his transfer to Ilam Central Prison.
Notes:
1. Women, Life, Freedom Uprising: Jina Amini (Mahsa Amini), a 21-year-old Kurdish woman from Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, was arrested on a street in Tehran on 13 September 2022 by the morality police because of the way she was dressed. Shortly after her arrest, she was transferred to Kasra Hospital in Tehran with head injuries and symptoms of brain death, and passed away three days later on 16 September 2022. The government’s killing of Jina sparked unprecedented anti-government protests, which began with a large turnout at her funeral at Aichi Cemetery in Saqqez and quickly spread to many cities across Iran. These widespread protests against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which lasted for several months, resulted in at least 527 protesters being killed and thousands injured and arrested. The protests are known for their central slogan of “Women, Life, Freedom” (Kurdish: Jin, Jiyan, Azadi).
2. Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code: “Anyone who engages in propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or in favour of groups and organisations opposing the state, in any manner, shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a period of three months to one year.”
3. Article 698 of the Islamic Penal Code: “Anyone who, with the intent to harm another person, disturb public opinion, or mislead official authorities, makes false statements or attributes actions contrary to the truth, either directly or indirectly, to an individual or legal entity, whether in a letter, complaint, correspondence, petition, report, or by distributing any kind of printed or handwritten materials, whether signed or unsigned, shall be sentenced to imprisonment from two months to two years or up to 74 lashes, regardless of whether the falsehood causes material or non-material harm to others. In addition to these penalties, if possible, the person’s reputation must be restored.”
