Rahim Shilani and Azad Rasouli-Fard, two citizens from Bukan, have each been sentenced to two years in prison after nearly three months of detention and uncertainty.
According to Kolbarnews, in recent days, Branch Two of the Bukan Criminal Court issued a ruling sentencing Rahim Shilani and Azad Rasouli-Fard to two years in prison each. Accordingly, the combined sentences issued against the two citizens amount to four years in prison. Rahim Shilani, son of Osman, born in 1975, and Azad Rasouli-Fard, son of Rahim, born in 1980, both from Bukan, were arrested without the presentation of a judicial warrant by security forces on Friday, January 30, 2026, and transferred to an undisclosed location.
According to Kolbarnews, after 52 days in detention, these two citizens were transferred to Bukan Prison on March 23, 2026. During their detention, they were interrogated in one of the security detention centers and, according to reports received, were subjected to physical torture during this period. Furthermore, despite more than a month having passed since their arrest, they were not granted temporary release on bail and were kept in prison in a state of uncertainty for several more weeks.
Finally, in late April 2026, Rahim Shilani and Azad Rasouli-Fard were temporarily released from Bukan Prison after each posting bail of three billion tomans.
During their nearly three months of detention, these two citizens were denied access to a lawyer and visits with their families.
On the other hand, the manner in which the law was applied in the case of these two citizens raises serious legal questions. The law cited to prohibit and punish the purchase and sale of Starlink equipment was adopted in the form of the “Bill on Intensifying Punishments for Espionage and Cooperation with Hostile Governments” in June 2025 and became enforceable after approval by the Guardian Council.
Given that Rahim Shilani and Azad Rasouli-Fard were arrested on January 30, 2026, determining the exact date on which the alleged conduct took place is legally significant; because if the alleged purchase and sale occurred before the relevant regulations came into force, applying the new law to prior conduct could conflict with the principle of legality of crimes and punishments and the prohibition against the retroactive application of criminal laws.
