HRANA – The prison sentences of Esmail Sheikhinia and Saeed Maghsoudi, both arrested during the 2026 nationwide protests, have been upheld in full by the Khuzestan Province Court of Appeals. In a joint case, the two men had previously been sentenced by Branch 1 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court to two years in prison each, along with supplementary punishments.

According to a ruling issued by Branch 14 of the Khuzestan Province Court of Appeals and served on their attorney, Hossein Ali Hatami, Mr. Sheikhinia and Mr. Maghsoudi were each convicted of disrupting public order under Note to Article 286 of the Islamic Penal Code. They were sentenced to two years in prison, a two-year travel ban, and one year of mandatory attendance at the Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Izeh County.

The original verdict had been issued by Branch 1 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court on the same charge.

In this case, the charge of “disrupting public order” was brought under the Note to Article 286 of the Islamic Penal Code. Under Iranian law, Article 286 pertains to the offense of “spreading corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel-arz). However, the accompanying note provides that when a defendant’s actions result in disorder or insecurity but are not deemed extensive enough to constitute efsad-e fel-arz, the death penalty does not apply, and the court may instead impose a Grade Five or Grade Six discretionary prison sentence of up to five years.

The use of this provision, rather than Article 618 of the Islamic Penal Code, which addresses ordinary public-order offenses punishable by a maximum of one year in prison, suggests that the case was handled through a security-oriented approach, with the court relying on the more severe penalties available under the Note to Article 286.

Esmail Sheikhinia and Saeed Maghsoudi were arrested on December 29, 2025, during nationwide protests in Izeh and were subsequently transferred to Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz.