NewsCenter – Arbitrary arrest, psychological pressure, the issuance of harsh sentences for activities in cyberspace, and forcing female defendants to participate in investigations constitute a violation of the principle of a fair trial and the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Revolutionary Court in Ahvaz issued prison sentences reaching 45 years against nine Arab women after convicting them of electronic activities. According to published reports, the branch court judge informed the defendants that each of them was sentenced to five years in prison, with the possibility of reducing the sentence to one year if they participate in a mandatory one-year course for "intellectual or ideological-political reform."

Information indicates that these courses are held at the "Jaafar Al-Sadiq" institution affiliated with the intelligence of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and if attendance is refused, the original sentence of a full five years in prison is carried out.

The nine women were released on bail after their arrest about a year and a half ago, following their exposure to physical and psychological pressure during detention in centers affiliated with the intelligence apparatus. The charges against them include "belonging to a group," "propaganda against the regime," and "assembly and conspiracy with intent to undermine security" — charges that human rights activists consider part of a stereotyping pattern and double repression based on ethnic and gender identity.

The list of the convicted includes: Saida Heydari Rad, Amal Dehimi, Kawthar Asakari, Aya Mohammadi, Fatemeh Savari, Khadija Havali, Iftikhar Rostami Zadeh, Seyyedeh Fatemeh Hosseini, and Amina Bitsayah, while two men are also standing trial before the court.