Iranian Comedian Zeinab Mousavi Summoned to Serve Prison Sentence

Well-known Iranian comedian Zeinab Mousavi, who has spoken against the compulsory hijab in her comic videos, says she has been summoned to serve a two-year prison sentence.

Mousavi shared a photo of the summons from the judiciary on her Instagram page on February 5, saying that she had been instructed to hand herself over to the authorities within five days.

"I will be in prison on the anniversary of the Spring of Freedom, and those of us born after that glorious era have not truly experienced freedom," she said. "We have been deprived of our rightful share of everything." 

Between the fall of the shah in February 1979 and the end of that year, the Iranian press enjoyed what is referred to as the Spring of Freedom, characterized by dozens of new publications.

Mousavi, 34, has over half a million followers on Instagram, where she appears as the “Empress of Kuzcoo” – a parody of an old villager who wears a hijab that reveals only her nose. 

She is also a stand-up comedian who appeared on state TV.

Mousavi was arrested amid nationwide protests in October 2022, and was released on bail the following month after spending 25 days in solitary confinement. 

She was handed a two-year sentence on unknown charges in December 2022.