In Brief
Bahareh Hedayat, a student activist and women’s rights defender, was arrested on December 31, 2009. After nearly seven years in Evin prison, Hedayat was released in September 2016.
Case History
At the turn of the new year, Hedayat, an active campaigner for women’s rights, was sentenced and charged for two years for “insulting the Supreme Leader,” six months for “insulting the President,” and five years for “acting against national security and publishing falsehoods.”
Under Article 134 of Iran’s new Islamic Penal Code, Hedayat was released after she served her longest sentence: the five-year sentence for “acting against national security and publishing falsehoods.” Article 134 requires that prisoners charged with multiple crimes serve the sentence attributed to only their most serious offense. Her detention was deemed counter to international law in May 2016 by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD).