Ex-Bodybuilding Champion Faces Renewed Sentence Amid Health Concerns

Khaled Pirzadeh, a former bodybuilding champion and political prisoner, revealed on Monday that he has received a new prison sentence of nearly six years.

In an Instagram story, he disclosed convictions of "assembly and collusion" for five years and "propaganda against the system" for eight months. The story also noted his acquittal on charges of "spreading lies" and "illegitimate financial gain."

The latest conviction comes within a week of reports from a former political prisoner indicating Pirzadeh's deteriorating health following a nine-day hunger strike. Last week, Pirzadeh was urgently hospitalized in Tehran due to "convulsions," "muscle cramps," and "chest pain," specifically in the cardiology ward. Despite his reported physical distress, human rights media later revealed his return to Evin Prison a few days later.

Pirzadeh was arrested at Ahvaz airport in southwestern Iran on September 19 as he prepared to travel to Turkey with a valid passport. Intelligence agents detained him without presenting an arrest warrant.

Previously sentenced to seven years in prison in June 2019, Pirzadeh engaged in hunger strikes and sewed his right eyelid shut in protest during his incarceration. Upon release in February 2023, he faced mobility issues resulting from a spinal cord injury and an anxiety disorder.