Heavy Prison Sentence for Shazand Citizen for Slogan Writing and Attendance at Cyrus Ceremony

Ruhollah Hedayati, a citizen of Shazand city known as “Ahura,” who was arrested last November, has been sentenced to more than 13 years of imprisonment by the Revolutionary Court.

Mr. Hedayati, who was released on bail about two months later last year, was sentenced to a total of 13 years and four months of imprisonment on charges of propaganda against the system, membership in groups with the intent to undermine national security, insulting sacred values, and insulting the Supreme Leader.

Hrana website, which publishes human rights news in Iran, reported that according to the verdict issued by Branch One of the Shazand Revolutionary Court, the sentence was based on the defendant’s explicit confession to attending the memorial ceremony of Cyrus the Great on November 7, 2016 in Shiraz and the film and photographs taken from that ceremony in which the defendant was present, the defendant’s confession to writing slogans on the walls and facilities of Arak detention center, and reports from the Arak Intelligence Office.

In the past three years, the attendance of thousands of people on November 7 at the mausoleum of Cyrus the Great has caused security concerns for the Iranian government. People gave slogans at these gatherings in support of the Pahlavi royal family.

This year, authorities did not even allow people to attend the mausoleum of Cyrus.

Source: Voice of America