Iranian Political Prisoner Slams 26-Year Prison Sentence

Political prisoner Mahboubeh Rezaei, has reacted to her 26-year jail term in Evin Prison under charges of undermining national security with a vow to continue her activism.

Following her sentencing, she said: "Whether in prison or outside, I will continue my path alongside the Iranian people, and I will not cease my efforts until the freedom of our homeland."

Last week, peaceful activists Rezaei, Samaneh Norouz Moradi and Reza Mohammad Hosseini, were collectively sentenced to a total of 61 years and 10 months by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. Their charges included "membership in opposition groups aiming to undermine national security."

The issued verdict states that if the sentence is confirmed in the appeals court, the enforceable part would be 7 years and 9 months for Mahboubeh Rezaei and Reza Mohammad Hosseini, and 6 years and 3 months for Samaneh Norouz Moradi.

In her letter, the political prisoner proudly announced, "Although my youth is spent in prison, I am not disheartened. Love for our homeland has rendered the prison's anxieties meaningless and has kept hope alive more than ever. In Evin Prison, I will be alongside other sisters and brothers who are fighters for freedom."

Mahboubeh Rezaei was first detained in May 2017 and was released from Adelabad Prison of Shiraz in June 2022. During her previous incarceration, she was exiled to Bushehr Prison, south of Iran and later returned to Shiraz after nine months.

In 2021, while in Bushehr Prison, she spoke about the assault on female prisoners in an audio message, and a few days later, her phone access was temporarily cut off.