Iranian activist Faezeh Hashemi, daughter of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, has been sentenced to five years over "propaganda" and acts against national security, her lawyer told AFP on Monday.
Hashemi was arrested in the capital Tehran on September 27 for encouraging residents to demonstrate amid nationwide protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died in the custody of Iran's morality police after she was arrested for allegedly breaching the country's strict hijab laws.
Iranian authorities say hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed and thousands arrested in connection with the protests, which they generally describe as "riots."
"My client, Ms. Hashemi, was sentenced to five years in prison by the preliminary court," her lawyer Neda Shams said, adding she plans to appeal the verdict.
The 60-year-old former lawmaker and women's rights activist was charged with "collusion against national security, propaganda against the Islamic republic and disturbing public order by participating in illegal gatherings," the lawyer said.
