By The Daily Wire (World News) | Created at 2026-08-16 14:21:06 | Updated at 2026-08-16 15:09:49
6 hours ago
An Iranian psychologist who publicly urged President Donald Trump to stand by anti-regime protesters has been sentenced to seven months in prison, and his family says authorities tried to force him to record a video insulting Trump and the American people, Fox News Digital reported Saturday.
Seyed Ahmad Seyedabdollahi, a 32-year-old psychologist and counselor from Borujen who had been living in Tehran, posted an English-language video on January 4. In it he spoke directly to Trump and urged him to act quickly on his pledge to support Iranian protesters. Young Iranians had trusted his words, he said, and those who helped the Iranian people would be remembered.
“To prove your good intentions to the Iranian people, either do something without saying anything or act very quickly on your words, because many young people trust what you say. And, as you probably know, many things are useless to people who are dead. I assure you that the Iranian nation remembers good deeds well, and they will try to repay their friends in the future.”
Ten days later, on January 14, Seyedabdollahi was reportedly arrested at his father’s home in Borujen. Plainclothes agents confiscated phones and electronic equipment. He was held in solitary confinement and at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence detention facility in Isfahan.
A relative told Fox News Digital that the video brought sustained pressure from Iranian security authorities.
“Since that day, he has faced serious pressure from Iranian security authorities. He was arrested twice and subjected to repeated interrogations,” the relative said. “During his detention, he spent extended periods in solitary confinement.” Fox News Digital reported it could not independently verify the relative’s account of Seyedabdollahi’s treatment in custody.
He was held for roughly two months before being released on bail in March, according to Iran International.
Branch One of the Borujen Revolutionary Court convicted him of “engaging in media activities against national security.” He received seven months in prison and a five-year ban from government and public services. He was detained again on July 7 to begin serving the sentence and remains in Borujen Prison.
The Hana Human Rights Organization, a Geneva-registered group that monitors abuse in Iran, said Seyedabdollahi was denied contact with his family for 17 days after his first arrest and that his family initially did not know where he was being held. Iran International reported that he was denied access to a lawyer of his choosing during his detention and was at times prevented from communicating with his family.
Authorities opened a second case against him in June on a charge translated as “propaganda against the establishment” or “propaganda against the system of the Islamic Republic.” That case remains at the preliminary investigative stage.
Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital appear to detail the authorities’ investigation and contain references to alleged foreign contacts and financial transactions involving the United States and Israel. Interrogators accused him of connections to the CIA and Mossad and of receiving money for making the video, the relative said.
“They told him you are a member of the CIA and Mossad and you took money from them for this job,” the relative said.
The relative also alleged that authorities pressured Seyedabdollahi to record a second video repudiating his original message and attacking Trump and Americans.
“He did not give in to numerous pressures to publish a clip that contradicted the first video,” the relative said. “He was asked to sexually insult Trump and make the American people look stupid and ignorant so that we could broadcast your clip on the national media.”
The relative said Seyedabdollahi continues to face pressure in prison after refusing the demands. “His situation in Borujen Prison is not good because he has been out of solitary confinement for a few days, but sometimes they take him to solitary confinement under various pretexts,” the relative said. Monitored telephone calls make it difficult for him to speak openly about his treatment.
The five-year prohibition on public and government employment has added to the burden by threatening his ability to work after release.
“You understand the economic conditions of Iran. Now imagine that in this situation someone has been deprived of their social rights, i.e. job and income, and he is imprisoned,” the relative said.
The relative described Seyedabdollahi as a psychologist and popular speaker with a following among young Iranians, and said that during the brief period when he was free, he stayed focused on those who had suffered more in the crackdown, recalling them saying: “Don’t feel weak. Our problems are insignificant compared to the thousands of people who have lost their lives.”
Seyedabdollahi posted his video two days after Trump wrote on Truth Social that if Iran “shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” adding that the U.S. was “locked and loaded and ready to go.” On January 13, Trump urged Iranians to keep protesting and wrote that “help is on its way.”
Iran International reported that the crackdown brought mass arrests. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said in early February that more than 50,000 people had been arrested in the roughly six weeks since protests began.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said in an August 5 statement that at least 56 people had been executed on national-security-related charges since March 19, including 27 in cases linked to the January protests. More than 100 others face similar charges and the possibility of execution, Türk said.
