Mostafa Helichi, an Ahwazi Arab poet and cultural activist currently held in Ward 5 of Sheiban Prison in Ahwaz, has been sentenced by Branch 3 of the Iranian Revolutionary Court in Ahwaz to 13 years of discretionary imprisonment, along with two years of travel ban.
According to reports received by the Karun Human Rights Organization, the sentence includes:
- 10 years in prison on charges of “forming a group hostile to the system,” and
- 3 years in prison on charges of “membership in groups opposed to the Islamic Republic.”
In addition, the court imposed a supplementary punishment of a two-year ban on leaving the country.
Earlier, Branch 13 of the Ahwaz Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office, presided over by investigator Saeed Liraki, issued an indictment against Mostafa Helichi and referred his case for final adjudication to Branch 3 of the Ahwaz Revolutionary Court, headed by judge Rashid Kiani Deh-Kian.
Rashid Kiani Deh-Kian is a well-known judge of the Ahwaz Revolutionary Court who has repeatedly been criticized by human rights organizations in recent years for issuing harsh sentences against cultural activists, labor activists, and protesters in the Ahwaz region (Khuzestan).
Mostafa Helichi was arrested on 1 December 2024 (10 Azar 1403) along with Reza Hezbawi, another defendant in the same case, by the Information and Public Security Police. According to reports, both cultural activists were subjected to severe physical and psychological torture during detention, including:
- suspension by hanging,
- beatings with cables on the soles of the feet and body, and
- blows to sensitive parts of the body.
After more than one month of detention and torture at the FATA Police detention center, the two prisoners were transferred on 6 January 2025 (17 Dey 1403) to Ward 5 of Sheiban Prison in Ahwaz under a temporary detention order.
