Hardline Iranian MP Hamid Rezaei Sentenced to Ten Months in Evin Prison

Hardline Iranian cleric and parliament member Hamid Rezaei was sent to Evin Prison in Tehran on Sunday to serve a 10-month prison sentence. The imprisonment follows a complaint filed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf over the dissemination of false statements and document manipulation. Rezaei, who refused to apologize for his remarks, will serve his time in the cleric wing of the notorious facility amid escalating political turmoil at the top of the regime.

Conflict Within the Conservative Camp

The confrontation between Rezaei and Ghalibaf highlights a deep power struggle within Iran's conservative establishment. Rezaei and other hardline lawmakers have challenged Ghalibaf's authority in parliament and his involvement in negotiations with the United States. Rezaei accused Ghalibaf of making excessive concessions to Washington and criticized the direction of recent diplomatic efforts.

"This verdict is a political maneuver rather than a legal judgment," Rezaei stated prior to his imprisonment, while maintaining that he would comply with the judicial order despite his objections to the severity of the sentence.

Political Divisions and Judicial Rulings

The case stems from articles published in 2024 when Rezaei edited the radical weekly Dey 9, which alleged that Ghalibaf manipulated parliamentary documents. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Rezaei to publish a retraction on the front page of the defunct publication using the exact font size of the original report. Rezaei is also a vocal opponent of President Masoud Pezeshkian, frequently criticizing his administration's approach to foreign policy and relations with Western powers.