Osman Esmaeili, a labor activist, was returned to Saqqez Prison on Thursday, August 22, 2024, after a three-day temporary prison leave. The labor activist had been granted leave on August 19, 2024, to attend to his medical case.
According to the Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners, Mr. Esmaeili’s return to prison comes after he was sentenced to 16 months of imprisonment by the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Saqqez in August 2023 on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic” and “membership in one of the opposition groups.”
The sentence issued against Osman Esmaeili was also upheld by the Supreme Court, and he had been sent to Saqqez Prison on November 13, 2023, to serve his sentence.
Previously, Osman Esmaeili was arrested by security forces in Saqqez on February 8, 2023, without a judicial warrant, and was subsequently released from prison on April 17, 2024.
It is worth noting that Mr. Esmaeili has a history of other arrests and judicial confrontations due to his activism.
The return of this labor activist to prison occurs while he previously required special medical care.