The Tehran Appeals Court has upheld an eight-year prison sentence for Assadollah Fakhimi and Hoorieh Khanpour, a couple known for their civil activism.

The ruling, issued on February 6th, includes a five-year prison term for Fakhimi and three years for Khanpour on charges of “assembly and collusion with intent to commit crimes against national security.”

The verdict also includes one-year sentences for each of them on charges of “propaganda against the system.”

Initially handed down by Tehran Revolutionary Court, in January, the eight-year sentence against the couple has been fully confirmed by the appeals court.

The home of Fakhimi and Khanpour was raided by agents of the ministry of intelligence on July 11 last year, during which computers, laptops, and mobile phones were seized, and the couple was subsequently summoned to Evin Courthouse.

In a notable act of solidarity, on October 29th, Fakhimi, alongside several other civil activists and families of detainees, visited the family of imprisoned human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, a recipient of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, presenting a Human Rights Statue.

Since its establishment, the Islamic Republic has consistently arrested, tortured, and imprisoned government critics, civil and political activists.

Since the nationwide uprising against the Islamic Republic in September 2022, the government's crackdown on civil, political, and protesting activists has persisted and intensified.