ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Iranian court has sentenced nine Arab women activists from the southwestern city of Ahvaz to five years in prison each on security-related charges, rights monitor Hengaw reported on Thursday. “The Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz has sentenced nine Arab female activists from Ahvaz… to a total of 45 years in prison (five years each),” the Oslo-based Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported, adding that the sentences included mandatory participation in an "intellectual or ideological-political reform" course. The women were convicted on several security-related charges, including membership in groups with the intention of disrupting national security, propaganda against the state, and illegal assembly and collusion, according to Hengaw. The verdicts were formally communicated after the “nine women were summoned to the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court on Sunday,” Hengaw said. The women had previously been arrested by Iranian security forces over their online civil advocacy and professional activities, according to the rights monitor. They were later released on bail pending trial after spending months in detention, including periods of solitary confinement and interrogation. Hengaw said they were subjected to severe physical and psychological pressure while held in security detention facilities. The sentences come amid continued reports of Iranian authorities detaining and prosecuting activists on national security and political charges. Rights groups have repeatedly documented arrests and prosecutions targeting members of Iran’s ethnic minorities, including Arabs, Kurds and Baluch, with some detainees reportedly denied access to legal representation. RELATED: Iran executed six women, arrested 20 female activists in August: Watchdog
_(1).webp&w=3840&q=75)
