Iranian Translator Reshno Sentenced to Over Three Years in Prison

A Revolutionary Court in Tehran has sentenced Sepideh Rashno, a 29-year-old translator and editor, to four months in prison, bringing her total prison term to three years and 11 months, her lawyer says.

Lawyer Milad Panahipour told the Shargh newspaper on December 5 that the new sentence was imposed for "publishing obscene images" on social media.  

Rashno was arrested in July 2022 after she was filmed arguing with a woman on a bus over the mandatory headscarf. 

Two weeks later, state TV aired a program showing her giving a forced confession while signs of beatings were visible even on her face.

In June of this year, she announced that she was released on bail after being summoned again by the authorities, but was "banned from leaving Tehran."

Previously, she had reported that Al-Zahra University had banned her from studying for two semesters due to the "non-observance of Islamic clothing."

All women in Iran must conceal their hair with a hijab while in public and wear loose fitting trousers under their coats.

A growing number of Iranian women who refuse to wear a head covering have been arrested and prosecuted amid a wave of protests sparked by the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody after being detained by police for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly.