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Prominent Iranian Activist Qoliyan Charged with “Insult”

April 11, 2023
1 min read
“Khamenei the Zahhak! We'll take you down into the grave," she shouted, referring to a mythical king said to have fed serpents growing out of his shoulders with young people’s brains
“Khamenei the Zahhak! We'll take you down into the grave," she shouted, referring to a mythical king said to have fed serpents growing out of his shoulders with young people’s brains

The Iranian judiciary says it has charged well-known civil rights activist Sepideh Qoliyan with “insult” after she shouted slogans against the Islamic Republic’s leader upon her release from prison last month.

Speaking at a press conference in Tehran on April 11, judiciary spokesperson Masoud Setayeshi said that prosecutors sent Qoliyan's indictment to the Revolutionary Court in Tehran on March 19.

After her release on March 15, Qoliyan posted on Twitter a video of herself without the mandatory hijab shouting slogans against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei outside Tehran’s Evin prison.

“Khamenei the Zahhak! We'll take you down into the grave," she shouted, referring to a mythical king said to have fed serpents growing out of his shoulders with young people’s brains.

The activist was re-arrested five hours later.

Qoliyan was initially detained during a workers’ strike in November 2018 and later sentenced to 19 years and six months in prison. The sentence was reduced to five years on appeal. She was released last month after being granted “amnesty.”

“Those who were granted amnesty but commit a new crime will have the amnesty revoked, and the judiciary will deal with their new crimes according to legal standards,” Setayeshi told reporters.

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