Armita Pavir, a molecular biology student from Azerbaijan Shahid Madani University and a student rights activist, was released from Tabriz Prison on Thursday after serving 15 months in detention.
Arrested by security forces in September 2023, the Azarshahr Revolutionary Court sentenced Pavir to seven months and 16 days for "insulting the Supreme Leader" and an additional 15 months for "propaganda against the Islamic Republic."
Her lawyer, Qasem Baedi, announced her release on Instagram, praising her dignity and resistance during her imprisonment.
On November 6, 2023, Pavir initiated a hunger strike to protest prison conditions, which led to her hospitalization due to deteriorating health.
Throughout her detention, human rights organizations voiced concerns about her well-being and held judiciary and prison authorities accountable for potential harm to prisoners.
Pavir, 30, a final-year student, has faced significant educational disruptions due to her student activism, including suspensions and a university ban.
She was first detained on October 31, 2022.
On November 9, 2023, the country's student union councils reported that although it was announced she had been transferred to Tabriz prison, authorities initially denied her presence when her family and relatives visited.
Later, it was revealed that prison authorities had falsely conveyed this information to the families of several women arrested during nationwide protests in Tabriz, likely as an intimidation tactic.
Pavir was eventually released from Tabriz prison on December 8 on bail. In February, she was contacted to sign a commitment letter as part of a broader “amnesty” offered to detained protesters by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
However, her ordeal took another disturbing turn when she was arrested again under the pretext of an unresolved financial case.
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