Behfar Lalehzari

Age: 44
Activism/rights: Civil activist
Status: Imprisoned in Evin Prison
Judicial status: 5 years’ imprisonment
Violations: Arbitrary arrest; lack of a fair trial and due process; solitary confinement; denial of medical care; denial of family visits

Behfar Lalehzari, a civil activist and legal professional, was first arrested on 11 July 1999 during the student movement protests (the attack on Tehran University dormitories). He was only 17 years old at the time of his arrest and was released after six months. He was arrested again in 2008, this time for writing slogans and publishing an article criticising the Islamic Penal Code. Judge Pirabbasi sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment on charges of insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic. This sentence was reduced on appeal to three and a half years’ imprisonment, and he was released from Evin Prison in March 2012. In 2015, Behfar was once again arrested for writing an article and was sentenced by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Moghiseh, to seven years’ imprisonment on charges of “insulting Islam and sacred values through the press” and “insulting the Leader”. This sentence was upheld on appeal, and after serving three years in prison, he was released from Evin Prison in late February 2019.
Following increased pressure on civil activists after the suppression of the 2022 protests, Behfar was arrested again on 18 September 2023 in the street together with his wife, Rezvaneh Ahmad Khanbigi. Police from the Yaftabad Security Police in Tehran subsequently raided their home, searched the premises, and confiscated electronic devices and work materials belonging to both him and his wife, before taking Behfar to the Yaftabad Security Police facility. After eight days, he was transferred to Vozara detention centre and subsequently to Evin Prison. In January 2024, Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment on charges of “assembly and collusion with intent to commit crimes against internal security”. This sentence was upheld by Branch 36 of the Tehran Province Court of Appeal. Behfar who suffers from asthma and heart disease, lost vision in his left eye while in prison, and his right eye has also developed impaired vision. He has lost his teeth as a result of beatings and torture, and his requests for medical leave have repeatedly been denied. For a prolonged period, Behfar was deprived of medical care and access to his heart medication and asthma inhaler, and prison authorities refused his family’s requests to deliver his medication. Judicial authorities and prison officials have repeatedly rejected his requests for temporary leave and for visits with his child, who was born after his imprisonment.
Behfar went on hunger strike in 2024 in protest against the failure to examine his appeal and only ended it after assurances by officials that his demands would be reviewed. Both his appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court after months of waiting. A third appeal was granted in October 2025, and the case was referred to Branch 21 of the Court of Appeal for review. However, the Tehran Province Court of Appeal upheld his five-year prison sentence.²³⁷