Soheil Arabi is an Iranian blogger and photojournalist, who has been persecuted by
authorities in Iran for his writing and online activism.
In 2014 he was sentenced to death for blasphemy by allegedly “insulting the Prophet” in
Facebook posts (this was commuted to 7.5 years imprisonment in 2015). In November 2021,
he was released after the expiry of his sentence, but after the sentence, he was required to
spend an additional 2 years in internal exile. While in prison, he was an advocate for
prisoner’s rights, including by undergoing multiple hunger strikes. Further charges of
“propaganda activities against the state” have been brought against him as a result of his
prisoner’s rights activism.
Soheil Arabi, a critic of Iran’s Islamic republic, was reportedly arrested on 2 January. During
his arrest, he was beaten so badly that he had a heart attack and was taken to hospital,
according to the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB). Arabi is being held in Greater
Tehran Prison. CEMB has said his life ”is at grave risk” in light of Iran’s crackdown on
dissenters since the uprisings sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini last year. Iran has
publicly executed four protesters and arrested over 19,000 people over anti-Islamic Republic
demonstrations. Over 500 have been killed during protests. Arabi has faced continuous
persecution for his blogging and social media activities. In 2013 he was sentenced to death on
charges of ”insulting the Prophet of Islam” in Facebook posts that were critical of the Iranian
state. Due to public pressure, the sentence was commuted to several years’ imprisonment and
two years of mandatory study of Islamic theology.In 2021 he was sentenced to another two
years in prison for ”spreading propaganda with the intention of disturbing public opinion”. In
2017 Arabi won Reporters Without Borders’s Press Freedom Prize. The prize honours
courageous and independent journalists who have faced threats or imprisonment for their
work and who have challenged the abuse of power

Recently 57 member of parliament from Social democrat party in Niedersachsen state of Germany have agreed to get the political sponsorship for Soheil Arabi, and Farangis Mazloum.

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