Negin Chaparian, a 34-year-old Iranian citizen, faced a distressing situation after being sentenced to one year in prison by the 29th Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran. Her offense? Walking her dog in a park while not covering her hair—a seemingly ordinary activity in many parts of the world.
The incident occurred in May 2023 when she was attacked by unidentified individuals, purportedly Basij or plainclothes agents. She filed a complaint against the assailants with a forensic medical certificate and confirmation of the bruises and testimony of the local people, but the judge declared her complaint closed.
Later, she shared a video clip of the assault, which led to her subsequent arrest by the Ministry of Intelligence on August 6, 2023.
Chaparian’s charges include accusations of “propaganda against the state,” “promoting corruption,” “disruption of public chastity,” and “having contact with hostile foreign networks.”
Her arrest was followed by a raid on her residence in Tehran. Despite being temporarily released on bail of 700 million Tomans after 24 hours, she was sentenced to one year in prison on Saturday, December 2, 2023.