Salar Taher Afshar, a civil activist from Urmia, was transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran on Sunday, April 6, 2025, to begin serving a five-year prison sentence. He was arrested after appearing at the Enforcement Office of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office, in response to a summons.
Afshar was convicted by Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals on the charge of “assembly and collusion to act against national security.” According to reports, he had previously received a notice instructing him to report to the authorities for the enforcement of his sentence.
The activist was initially arrested on February 17, 2025, by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in Urmia and subsequently transferred to a detention facility operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Tabriz. During this period, his family was left without information about his condition or whereabouts.
Born in 1998 and holding an associate degree, Afshar had previously been detained and prosecuted for his activism. In early 2024, he received two separate convictions: a six-month prison sentence by the East Azerbaijan Appeals Court for “aiding propaganda against the state” in connection with a politically themed rap performance, and a five-year sentence by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court for “assembly and collusion against national security.”
Following a temporary release on bail in March 2025, Afshar was summoned again for the execution of his sentence and was re-arrested upon presenting himself to the judiciary.
