Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
RFL/RE – An Islamic revolutionary court in Tehran has sentenced civil and labor activist Neda Naji to a prison term and flogging for attending a protest in support of Mahsa Amini, who died while in police custody in September.
Naji’s mother, Mehraneh Ghasemi, wrote on her Instagram account on January 3 that her daughter was sentenced to eight months in prison, 60 lashes, a fine of 150 million rial ($385), “propaganda against the Islamic Republic” and “assembly and collusion with the intention of disrupting public order.” She was also given a two-year ban on leaving the country and on using smartphones.
The civil activist’s family says that she was denied the right to have a lawyer in court during the proceedings.
Naji was arrested on October 2 after attending a protest rally in front of the Kasra Hospital in the Iranian capital, where Amini died after being transferred from a detention center where she was being held by the country’s notorious morality police.
Naji is no stranger to the Iranian judicial system, having been sentenced to 30 months in prison after being found guilty of “assembly and collusion against the state” over her attendance at a protest rally in front of parliament marking May Day in 2019.
Since Amini’s death while she was in police custody for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly, Iranians have flooded streets across the country to protest against a lack of rights, with women and schoolgirls making unprecedented shows of support in the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.
Several thousand people have been arrested, including many protesters, as well as journalists, lawyers, activists, and digital rights defenders. Some protesters have been sentenced to death.
The activist HRANA news agency said that, as of January 2, at least 516 people had been killed during the unrest, including 70 minors, as security forces try to stifle widespread dissent.
