October 14, 2026; Dr. Naser Hemmati, a clinical psychologist and former political prisoner who has faced repeated arrests, sentencing, and imprisonment due to his stances and criticism of the government, must report to "Mahpareh" Prison in Darreh Shahr County, Ilam Province, to serve a sentence of 3 years, 6 months, and 1 day in prison. Objecting to this verdict, he described it as being based on unproven, illegal, and blatantly false accusations relying on threats from the judge, emphasizing that even two courts contradicted each other in citing evidence.

An informed source confirmed this news to Kurdpa, stating that Dr. Naser Hemmati, a clinical psychologist and former political prisoner, must report to Mahpareh Prison in Darreh Shahr County, Ilam, to execute his prison sentence. Yesterday, he wrote on his Instagram page that he must report to prison on Saturday, October 17, 2026, to serve a sentence of 3 years, 6 months, and 1 day.

On July 20, 2025, Dr. Naser Hemmati was sentenced by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Ilam County, presided over by Judge Rajab Mohammadi, to 15 months and 1 day of discretionary imprisonment on charges of "insulting the Supreme Leader" and to 3 years, 6 months, and 1 day of Grade 5 discretionary imprisonment—taking into account prior detention—on charges of "propaganda in favor of groups or organizations opposed to the Islamic Republic of Iran (propaganda activities aimed at supporting and consolidating the Zionist regime)." According to the issued verdict, the latter punishment, being the maximum sentence, is enforceable; if the maximum sentence is reduced, converted, or rendered unenforceable for any reason, the next severe punishment will be executed.

Regarding the verdicts of Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court, Dr. Naser Hemmati wrote on his Instagram page: "The head of Branch 1 of the Ilam Revolutionary Court told me the preliminary verdict in advance on the day of the hearing (he emphasized the maximum penalty and threatened that he would not give even a single day's reduction!)."

The charges against Dr. Naser Hemmati are based on a case opened on November 26, 2024, in the General and Revolutionary Prosecutorial Office of Abdanan County, relying solely on a report by the Abdanan County Intelligence Department and content attributed to him in cyberspace. Citing the security agency's report, content published on Telegram, the ownership of the phone number, and his prior criminal record, the court based its conviction on these charges; however, the arguments presented relied mainly on reports and documentation attributed to the security agency, and the text of the verdict reflects no independent or sufficient examination to prove the allegations. Furthermore, citing previous convictions, the court refrained from applying any sentence reductions.

On August 19, 2026, Branch 6 of the Ilam Province Court of Appeal rejected Mr. Naser Hemmati's appeal, upholding the verdict of Branch 1 of the Ilam Revolutionary Court in its entirety and declaring it final. The branch stated that "he failed to present evidence or documentation that would cause the revocation or overturn of the aforementioned judgment, and contrary to his claim that the mobile phone device used and his Telegram account were under a pseudonym, inquiries revealed that the phone numbers used by him were the exact ones active in cyberspace through which criminal acts were committed."

Publishing the Court of Appeal's ruling on his Instagram page, Dr. Naser Hemmati wrote: "You see the text of the ruling from Branch 6 of the Court of Appeal as well. The claim presented is so meaningless that it cannot be attributed to anyone: 'claimed that his mobile phone device and Telegram account were under a pseudonym.' A mobile phone device under a pseudonym?!"

On Saturday, October 10, 2026, Dr. Naser Hemmati mentioned on his Instagram page that "he will go to prison on Saturday, October 17, 2026, to execute the sentence," and in response to the court verdicts, wrote: "While the Abdanan Intelligence Department claims to have 'examined the contents of my mobile phone,' this is a blatant lie. I was never summoned to the Abdanan Intelligence Department, and no mobile phone was ever in the possession of this department. And while the verdicts of Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court and the Court of Appeal were issued on this basis, prior to that, Criminal Court 1 had acquitted me of the charge of 'Sabb al-Nabi' (insulting the Prophet) with the reasoning that none of the cited reasons and case documentation were 'court-admissible.' I do not know whether the Supreme Court will comment or not on why and how two 'courts' within the same judicial framework can be 100 percent contradictory."

He also stated that "the Abdanan Intelligence Department attempted to gather evidence against him through illegal means, but cannot disclose that it filed charges against him based on informants' reports and cyber theft; because, according to the laws of this very judiciary, evidence and documentation must be obtained through legal means."

Dr. Naser Hemmati's Prior Conviction and Sentence Execution Record in Esfahan Central Prison:

On June 8, 2019, Dr. Naser Hemmati was indicted in the Interrogative Branch of the General and Revolutionary Prosecutorial Office of Esfahan on charges of "propaganda against the system" and "insulting the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran." Subsequently, Branch 1 of the Esfahan Revolutionary Court sentenced him to one year of discretionary imprisonment for "propaganda against the system" and two years of discretionary imprisonment for "insulting the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran," with the maximum sentence becoming enforceable.
On December 26, 2019, Dr. Naser Hemmati was arrested by security forces in Esfahan for what was announced as "criticizing the existing situation and supporting the victims of the November 2019 protests." Following a week of arbitrary detention, he was temporarily released on bail. On September 20, 2021, he was tried in Branch 1 of the Esfahan Revolutionary Court on charges of "propaganda against the system" and sentenced to an additional year in prison.
On August 10, 2021, following a summons to Branch 1 of the Sentence Enforcement Office of the Esfahan Revolutionary Court, he was transferred to Dastgerd Prison in Esfahan to serve his sentence.
Dr. Naser Hemmati, son of Sohrab, holds a doctorate in clinical psychology.