According to a report received by the Karoon Human Rights Organization, Narges Heydari, a 38-year-old citizen from Izeh, a fitness and bodybuilding instructor and one of those arrested during the Dey protests, has been sentenced to five years in prison by a branch of the Revolutionary Court in Ahwaz.
Under the ruling, Heydari has been sentenced to five years of imprisonment on the charge of “acting against national security.” She has also been sentenced to one year of “promotion of virtue and prevention of vice” as an additional punishment.
According to information received, the additional sentence is reportedly linked to Narges Heydari’s participation in sports activities without observing the mandatory dress and hijab requirements.
Narges Heydari was arrested on Monday, January 19, 2026, after finishing work and while travelling in the area between the Red Crescent and the prayer hall in Izeh. She was arrested by forces affiliated with the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and subsequently transferred to Sepidar Prison in Ahwaz, where she remains detained.
It is also reported that Narges’s brother, Nemat Heydari, was previously arrested by security forces on Tuesday, December 30, 2025.
The Karoon Human Rights Organization condemns the five-year prison sentence and the additional punishment imposed on Narges Heydari and calls for the immediate and unconditional annulment of the sentence and her release.
The Karoon Human Rights Organization also considers the imposition of punishment on an individual because of her participation in sports activities and her choice of clothing to be a blatant violation of individual rights and freedoms.
