Daughter of former Iranian president charged with ‘propaganda’ activity
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Salma Hossein
- . October 12, 2022
- . Update: November 11, 2022 12:44 am
The daughter of the former president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, arrested last month amid protests after the death of a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, has been charged with “propaganda” activity.
The Iranian judiciary said on Tuesday that Faezeh Hashemi, 59, a former lawmaker and a women’s rights activist, has been accused of collusion, disruption of public order and propaganda against Iran.
Judiciary spokesman, Massoud Setayeshi, said that she carried out propaganda activity against the country.
She was arrested on September 27 in Tehran, the capital of Iran, for reportedly inciting residents to take part in protests that have rocked the Islamic Republic since Amini died on September 16 after her arrest by the morality police in Tehran for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.
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On 13 September, Amini travelled to Tehran to visit her family members. She was standing at the entry of Haqqani Highway with her brother Kiaresh Amini when the Iranian morality police arrested her and took her to the detention centre.
In July this year, the judiciary said that Hashemi carried out propaganda activity against the Islamic Republic and blasphemy in social media comments.
According to Setayeshi, she was sentenced to 15 months in prison and two years of additional punishment such as a ban on internet activities in March.
In 2012, Hashemi was sentenced to six months in jail on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” Earlier, Iranian authorities also accused her of damaging the country’s national interest.
Earlier, she made comments about Khadija, the wife of the Prophet Mohammed. She said that Khadija was a “businesswoman” to prove that Iranian women can also engage in economic and business activities.
Hashemi’s late father, Iranian president between 1989 and 1997, who died in 2017, was considered a moderate by many people.
