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Daughter of former Iranian president sentenced to 5 years in prison

Former MK and social activist imprisoned after participating in protests against Iranian authorities’ “Taliban-like view of women’s and social issues.”

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

The daughter of a former Iranian president was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday due to her support for the ongoing protests in Iran.

Faezeh Hashemi, a social activist, former member of the Iranian parliament and one-time editor of a major Farsi-language newspaper, plans to appeal the sentence, her attorney told AFP.

Neda Shams, Hashemi’s attorney, told the news agency that her client was convicted of “collusion against national security, propaganda against the Islamic republic and disturbing public order by participating in illegal gatherings.”

Shams said that Hashemi was found guilty by the “preliminary court” and that the decision was “not final.”

Hashemi had said she supported the widespread protests against Iran’s religious authorities following the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police.

She criticized the establishment’s “Taliban-like view of women’s and social issues” when speaking to local press.

In October 2022, judiciary spokesman Massoud Setayeshi had said that Hashemi was sentenced to a 15-month prison term, plus an additional two years of supervised release, including terms such as restricting her internet use.

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It’s unclear why the sentence Hashemi has now received is significantly longer than the one announced months ago.

Monday’s verdict isn’t the first time that Hashemi has run afoul of the law in the Islamic Republic due to her political activism.

In 2012, she was sentenced to a prison term and banned from “political activity” because she questioned the results of Iran’s 2009 election, which was widely believed to have been rigged.

Hashemi was found guilty of spreading “anti state propaganda” at that time, according to a Reuters report.

Hashemi’s father, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was one of the founders of the Islamic Republic and served as president of the country from 1989 to 1997.

Rafsanjani was known as a reformer who worked to warm ties with the West and tame extremist Islamic influences in the country.