Activist in Iran’s Rasht Handed One-Year Prison Sentence

A Revolutionary Court in the northern Iranian city of Rasht has sentenced political and social activist Tina Deljo to one year in prison for "propaganda against the system." 

According to a reliable source close to her family who remains anonymous for security reasons, the sentence was delivered after a court session last month that lasted no more than five minutes.

The case stemmed from Deljo’s critical posts and stories on her personal Instagram page during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.

Deljo, a university lecturer with a doctorate in political science, was arrested in Rasht, Gilan province’s capital, in July and spent three days in Lakan prison before being released pending trial.

Ahead of the September anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, the government increased pressure on civil activists advocating women's rights. 

In August, authorities arrested at least 12 women's rights activists in Gilan, accusing them of "acting against national security." 

And last month, intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) arrested at least 20 people in Rasht, according to human rights organizations. Their whereabouts remain unknown.