Civil Activist Soheila Motaei Sentenced to Three Months Imprisonment and Three Years Suspended Sentence

Soheila Motaei, a civil activist from Dehgolan, has been sentenced by Branch 102 of the Dehgolan Criminal Court to three months of discretionary imprisonment and three years of suspended imprisonment on the charge of “propaganda in favor of groups or organizations opposed to the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

According to a reliable source, Motaei appeared in court on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, where the verdict was formally delivered to her.

Her trial had previously taken place on May 24, 2025, in Branch 102 of the Dehgolan Criminal Court.

On March 17, 2025, she was released on temporary bail of one billion Iranian tomans following a period of detention. During that time, she had been interrogated at the detention center of the Intelligence Department in Sanandaj.

Motaei was initially arrested on March 10, 2025, in connection with events commemorating International Women’s Day in Sanandaj.

She had previously been detained during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” (Jin, Jiyan, Azadî) uprising. On January 23, 2025, during a general strike protesting executions, she was arrested after leaving her residence by security forces and was temporarily released the same day following the filing of judicial charges.

During the uprising, Motaei was arrested twice and sentenced to prison.

She was first arrested on October 1, 2022, by security forces and released on bail on October 17, 2022. She was re-arrested on November 12, 2022, and transferred to the Sanandaj Juvenile Correction and Rehabilitation Center following her interrogation.

Ultimately, on December 5, 2022, Branch 2 of the Dehgolan Criminal Court sentenced her to the following prison terms:

18 months for “disturbing public order,”

15 months for “propaganda against the state,”

13 months for “spreading falsehoods with intent to disturb public opinion,”

5 months for “insubordination to law enforcement officers,”

and 9 months for “propaganda in favor of hostile groups and organizations.”

Under the Iranian penal code regarding the aggregation of sentences, the 18-month prison term was enforceable.

Motaei was tried in a brief court session held via video conference.