Human Rights Defender Narges Mohammadi Vows to Defy 80 Lashes and 30 Months Sentence

In a new trumped-up case which was opened against her while she was still serving her previous sentence, prominent human rights defender Narges Mohammadi was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment, 80 lashes and two fines in May 2021. According to her Instagram post, she will not be complying with the sentence which has now been upheld and is enforceable.

“Since the case was opened against me, I have repeatedly stated that I consider it to be shameless and harsh and will not be complying with the verdict which has been issued and announced as 80 lashes, 30 months’ imprisonment and two fines. I have not participated in any of the legal proceedings in this case and have not submitted one word or had any legal representation,” she wrote.

The most recent indictment is for charges relating to her sit-in protest in Evin Prison against the brutal crackdown on the November 2019 nationwide protests and letters she wrote from prison.

Narges also documented her arrests since her release on 8 October 2020: “I have been arrested five times in the ten months since my arrest, which have all been accompanied by violence and force, as well as being arbitrary and unlawful.”

According to her post, she has received notice of two further complaints against her at the Evin Investigation Branch Two. Last detained on 5 May 2015, she served her sentence in Evin and Zanjan prisons prior to her release last year.