Tabriz — Three Azerbaijani national activists—Amin Taghizadeh, Samad Heidari, and Reza Salimi—have been sentenced to a combined total of 12 years and nine months of imprisonment by Branch Two of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court.

According to the verdict issued by Judge Reza Abdi, each of the three activists was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against internal and external security,” as well as an additional eight months for “propaganda against the system.”

The three men were arrested earlier this year during raids carried out by intelligence officers at their workplaces and homes in Tabriz. Following several days of interrogation, they were transferred to Tabriz Prison and later moved to the Intelligence Department’s detention facility. They were eventually released on temporary bail on February 18, after posting a substantial bond.

The issuance of these sentences is viewed by observers as part of an ongoing intensification of security pressure against Azerbaijani national activists. This trend has reportedly included violent arrests, the filing of broad security-related charges, the imposition of heavy bail conditions, and the handing down of lengthy prison sentences.

Human rights advocates argue that such practices violate the principles of due process and Iran’s international legal obligations, particularly under Articles 9, 14, 19, and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantee protection against arbitrary detention, the right to a fair trial, freedom of expression, and the right to peaceful civic activity.