February 07 2020
In the 10 months since Ebrahim Raisi took over as chairman of the Judicial Branch of the government, prosecutions of dissenters appear to have surged—to the point that even deputies in the Majlis, who normally remain silent about court matters, are now speaking out critically.
Several deputies have criticized the Judiciary pointedly for recent heavy prison terms meted out to labor and civil activists, as well as journalists.
Parvaneh Salhashouri, a female lawmaker, blamed Raisi personally on September 7, the six-month anniversary of his taking over the Judiciary, for the tough line on activists and journalists.
Mahmud Sadighi, an outspoken lawmaker has also described the harsh sentences as “surprising” and hard to explain. Yet another lawmaker, Farid Musavi, has said the usual defenders of the Judiciary will naturally defend long prison sentences.
In recent months, the authorities have arrested dozens of dissidents, protesters and journalists.
Salhashouri’s statement came hours after heavy prison terms were announced against several labor activists.
A Revolutionary Court sentenced a young labor and civil rights activist, 24-year-old Sepideh Qolyan, to 18 years, her attorney announced. “In an unfounded verdict, and regardless of the statement of defense, the judge has sentenced my client to a total of 18 years in jail,” Jamal Heidarimanesh wrote on his Instagram page.
Five other activists have also been sentenced to 18 years each; an unusually harsh punishment even by the standards of the Islamic Republic.
Qolyan was reporting on a labor protest organized by the Workers Union of Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Agro-Industrial Company when the security forces took her away.
Following her release, Qolyan told Amnesty International her captors brutally battered her, slammed her against walls, shoved her to the ground, flogged her, and threatened her with sexual assault and even death.
