Who is Faezeh Hashemi? The daughter of ex-Iranian president sentenced to 5 years in prison

The daughter of Iran’s former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was given a prison sentence of five years by an Iranian court on Tuesday, her attorney said on Twitter. Faezeh Hashemi, the 60-year-old daughter of Rafsanjani, was sentenced to prison for “propaganda against the system.”

However, the verdict against her is still “not final.” “The client is still in prison and there are other cases against her,” her lawyer Neda Shams wrote on Twitter. Hashemi, who is a prominent Iranian activist, was indicted on the charges last year. Subsequently, she was apprehended and sent to Evin prison in September, according to state-aligned news agency ISNA.

In the past decade, Hashemi has been incarcerated multiple times for her blunt statements and role in anti-government demonstrations, according to CNN. In 2012, the activist was arrested and had to spend several months in prison after she had made remarks against the Iranian regime. Hashemi is the daughter of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who served as the president of Iran from 1989 to 1997 and was sworn to power a year after the war between Iran and Iraq ended. In 2017, the leader passed away at the age of 82 due to a heart attack.

Detentions and executions go rampant in Iran

Of late, Iranian authorities have detained several well-known activists such as Shervin Hajipour, Hossein Mahini, and Mona Borzouei after protests erupted across the nation over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. At least 41 protesters involved in anti-government demonstrations have been punished with death sentences.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran executed a male karate champion and a male volunteer children’s coach in a case linked to the nationwide protests. The executions were widely condemned across the world. The European Union said that it was “appalled” by the act, which was “yet another sign of the Iranian authorities’ violent repression of civilian demonstrations.” “The European Union calls once again on the Iranian authorities to immediately end the strongly condemnable practice of imposing and carrying out death sentences against protesters,” the EU said.