Wednesday, 26, 2020 / Following a verdict, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Sina Rabiei, a student activist at the University of Tehran and a political prisoner incarcerated in Evin Prison to 3 years in prison for his detention during the student protests in November 2019.
According to Human Rights in Iran, on Saturday, August 22, 2020, Sina Rabiei, a student activist and politcal prisoner imprisoned in Evin Prison, was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran to 3 years in prison for his second case on charges of assembly and collusion to commit a crime against national security. The verdict was announced on Saturday in the Revolutionary Court of Tehran to Hossein Taj, Sina Rabiei’s lawyer. This student activist is serving a 1-year prison sentence for his arrest during the student protests in January 2020.
Hossein Taj, Sina Rabiei’s lawyer announced on his personal page: “The case of Sina Rabiei, a senior sociology student at the University of Tehran was referred to the Revolutionary Court on charges of disturbing public order. Despite serious objections (incompetence of the Revolutionary Court), the judge changed the mentioned charge to “assembly and collusion to commit crime against national security” and sentenced him to 3 years in prison.”
In June 2020, after referring to Branch 1 of the Enforcement of Criminal Judgments at the Tehran Security Court, Sina Rabiei was arrested to serve his 1-year prison sentence on charges of assembly and collusion against the security of the country, and was transferred to the quarantine ward of Evin Prison. He protested the way of his arrest and transfer to Evin Prison by announcing a hunger strike, but ended his hunger strike on June 26 (2020), following a promise by officials.
Sina Rabiei, along with several other student activists, was arrested by security forces on November 21, 2018 during a protest by students at the University of Tehran and after being transferred to the detention center of the security forces and being charged with disrupting public order, was temporarily released on bail on November 22, 2018.
On November 2019, Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Mashallah Ahmadzadeh, issued a lawsuit against Sina Rabiei, sentencing him to 1 year in prison and 2 years ban from leaving the country on charges of assembly and collusion with the intention of disrupting national security. After referring the case to Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals, this sentence was exactly upheld by Judge Ahmad Zargar.
Also, on November 21, 2019, Sina Rabiei, along with Abilfazl Nejad-fath and Fatemeh Semsar were arrested by security forces during a protest rally by students at the University of Tehran over another case and transferred to the detention center of a security organ. Sina Rabiei and Fatemeh Semsar were released on bail on November 22, 2020.
Individuals enjoy the right to a fair trial, which is an inalienable right, as enshrined in Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
In most cases, the extrajudicial and arbitrary detention of citizens and civil activists with vague and trumped-up accusations is in the line of suppression of Freedom of Expression and opinion, which in International Instrument of Human Rights, in Article 19 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as in Article 19 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted on December 16th 1966, there is emphasis on not suppressing of the individuals because of Freedom of Expression and opinion. Regarding the principle of freedom of expression, every individual has the right to express his/her opinions and viewpoints in any way possible, without considering border restrictions.
Article 5 of the Criminal Procedure Code stipulates that the accused shall be informed of the charges and provided access to a lawyer as soon as possible. Other defensive rights are mentioned in law, but extrajudicial actions taken by the security services violate the laws that they themselves drafted and claim to be enforced.
