Iranian Student Activist Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison

A student activist and former political prisoner has been sentenced to 21 months in prison by an Iranian court.

Motahareh Goonei, a dentistry student in Tehran, was convicted by Branch 29 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of “propaganda against the state” and “insulting Khamenei.”

She received a 15-month sentence for the propaganda charge and six months for the insult charge.

Her mobile phone was also confiscated for allegedly containing “criminal content.” Goonei said the verdict was issued and delivered within a week of her trial.

She was arrested on June 14 in connection with her reaction to Israeli airstrikes on Iran and was released on bail after more than a month in detention.

Goonei has faced repeated arrests and prosecutions. She was released from Evin Prison in March after completing a one-year sentence.

In October 2024, she was detained after being summoned to the Culture and Media Prosecutor’s Office and transferred to Evin Prison to serve that one-year sentence for “activities against the state.”

She was also arrested in May 2024 while serving as political secretary of the Islamic Association of Students at Tehran University.

Goonei and her former husband, both medical students, were previously suspended by the Health Ministry and ordered to transfer to Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, according to the Hengaw human rights organization.

She had also been detained during Iran’s “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests that began in 2022.