Iranian Dissident Tabarzadi Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison

The Isfahan Revolutionary Court has sentenced Heshmatullah Tabarzadi, a well-known opponent of the Islamic Republic, to 45 years and six months in prison, his lawyer says.

"This unjust conviction is not final and can be challenged. However, my client refuses to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic's courts and therefore does not protest," the lawyer, Mohammad Moghimi, said in a tweet on May 25.

Tabarzadi, the secretary-general of the Democratic Front of Iran, has been held behind bars for the past eight months.

His arrest coincided with nationwide protests sparked by the September death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and a brutal crackdown on dissent.

Tabarzadi recently published an open letter from Isfahan prison, saying he refused to participate in the proceedings of his “fabricated” case.

The activist said he faced a litany of accusations, including "propaganda against the regime, insulting the leadership, collaborating with hostile countries, insulting [former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah] Khomeini, waging war against God, spreading corruption on Earth, inciting violence and discord among people with the intent of disrupting the country's security."

"I would willingly embrace the gallows 1,000 times, but I refuse to bear the burden of lies and false cases," he stated defiantly.