HRANA – The Tehran Province Court of Appeals has upheld the sentence of five years in prison and a two-year ban on employment in professions related to social media activities imposed on Soheil Arabi. The sentence was previously issued by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
According to HRANA, Soheil Arabi’s conviction has been upheld in full on appeal. Based on information received by HRANA, the Tehran Province Court of Appeals, in a ruling dated October 19, 2026, rejected Arabi’s appeal and upheld the verdict issued by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court without modification.
Under the ruling, Arabi was sentenced to five years in prison on the charge of “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against national security,” with the court applying legal provisions concerning repeat offenses. Time already served in detention will be credited toward his sentence. Additionally, as a supplementary punishment, he has been prohibited from engaging in any occupation or profession related to social media activities for two years.
The sentence was initially issued on August 16, 2026, by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari.
The hearing on Arabi’s charges was held on August 10, 2026, before the same court. During the proceedings, reports submitted by a security agency, content Arabi had published on social media, and his assistance to several individuals arrested during the January protests were cited among the matters raised in the case.
In his defense, Arabi stated that his support activities were not limited to prisoners or protesters. He explained that, of the more than 200 families receiving assistance through the support network, over 100 had no history of arrest or political activity.
In February–March of last year, Arabi was arrested by security forces and transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj. He was released from the prison in the spring of 2026.
Soheil Arabi has previously faced arrests and judicial proceedings in connection with his activities.
It is worth noting that Soheil Arabi, a blogger and citizen journalist, received the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Prize in 2017. He has a history of multiple convictions and judicial proceedings. In 2014, Branch 76 of the Tehran Province Criminal Court sentenced him to death on the charge of “insulting the Prophet of Islam” through posts on Facebook. The death sentence was subsequently overturned and replaced with other penalties.
More recently, Arabi wrote a letter detailing the conditions of confinement in Suite 35 of Unit 3 at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.
