Iranian Protester Handed 11-Year Prison Term

A court in Tehran has sentenced Sajjad Imannejad, 32, a man who was arrested during last year's nationwide protests, to 11 years in prison, according to the activist HRANA news agency.

During a hearing on December 17, the judge also ordered Imannejad to pay more than 2.7 billion tomans ($54,000) to seven agents of the Islamic Republic he had allegedly injured.

Imannejad was charged with "waging war against God" and "intentional assault with a cold weapon" in a case that has been widely condemned by human rights organizations and activists.

HRANA said that three of the seven plaintiffs in the lawsuit have stated that Imannejad did not assault them.

Imannejad, a graduate in architecture and drawing from the northern city of Ardabil, is currently incarcerated in Tehran’s Evin prison.

He has been held in custody since his arrest in the capital on October 8, 2022. 

The Committee To Follow Up On The Status Of Detainees has raised concern about his well-being, saying that the inmate had been subjected to severe beatings and torture while in detention.