Mother of Killed Iranian Protester Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison

Mahsa Yazdani, the mother of a young man killed in Iran during last year’s nationwide protests, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges of "insulting sacred entities" and "defaming the leader of the Islamic Republic."

"What will happen to my three-year-old brother? Who is accountable for all this cruelty?" Yazdani's daughter, Mitra Zahedi, asked in an Instagram post.

Mohammad Javad Zahedi, 20, was shot and killed by police during protests in the northern city of Sari. 

Since then, his mother has persistently sought justice for her son and expressed solidarity with the families of those killed during nationwide protests that swept Iran in 2022.

Mahsa Yazdani was arrested in Sari in August and taken to an undisclosed location. She was released on bail pending trial.

Her sentencing is yet another example of the Iranian government's crackdown on dissent and its persecution of families of victims of state violence.