Ali Abdi, a writer, anthropology researcher, and human rights activist, announced that on Monday, February 24, 2025, he is heading to Evin Prison in Tehran to serve his sentence. He wrote on his Telegram channel that he has been sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison, of which 6 years are enforceable.
Ali Abdi is an anthropology researcher who lived in Afghanistan for years. In 2021, he was held captive by the Taliban for two months, and after his release, he documented his experiences.
He stated that he was sentenced to 6 years for past writings about gender minorities, 5 years for protesting the 2009 elections, and 1 year for “propaganda against the regime.” These sentences were upheld by the appeals court, with 6 years being enforceable.
He emphasized that although he does not consider these rulings “defensible,” he finds them “understandable.”
Abdi further explained that, in his view, the primary reason for these sentences was not the stated charges but rather suspicions about his alleged ties to foreign intelligence services. He wrote, “The arresting institution never reached a definite conclusion that I had no connections with foreign services. Until the last day of my temporary detention, investigators suspected that I might be an agent of hostile governments and that my anthropological research was a cover for missions in Afghanistan.”
Despite criticizing the ruling, Abdi stated that he has no intention of filing a complaint or appeal. He wrote:
“With trust in God, I will go to Evin. I hold no grievances against anyone. While I do not consider the ruling defensible, I understand it, and I do not believe what happened was the result of anyone’s ill will.”
In recent years, Ali Abdi has been known for sharing stories about the people of Afghanistan and discussions on self-awareness. He himself acknowledged that he had distanced himself from social activism for years.
