Repression of civil activists continues in Iran; two Azerbaijani activists sentenced to prison and flogging

Ali Khairjo and Meysam Jolani, two Azerbaijani (Turkish) activists, have been sentenced to a total of four months in prison and 40 lashes by the Ardabil Criminal Court.

A source close to the two Azerbaijani activists told VOA that the trial of Ali Khairjo and Meysam Jolani was held on December 1, without the presence of a defense attorney, in Branch 110 of the Ardabil Criminal Court No. 2, presided over by Judge Sajjad Habibi. In this trial, each of these Azerbaijani activists was sentenced to two months in prison and 20 lashes on charges of “participating in disturbing public order by creating commotion and controversy.” The verdict was communicated electronically to the activists living in Ardabil on Tuesday, December 15.

According to this source, the allegations are based on the content and writings of these civil activists in cyberspace; content that, according to him, the interrogators of the case had shown to the two civil activists during interrogations. This content was related to cultural demands, legal demands, writings about language and identity based on human rights conventions, statements by human rights organizations, and universal declarations regarding the rights of minorities.

The informed source told VOA that the activists faced three charges at the time of their arrest, and that these charges have been heard in two separate cases. According to him, one case has been referred to the criminal court, and the other case has been referred to the Revolutionary Court on two charges: "propaganda activities against the regime" and "gathering and colluding to act against the country's national security."

According to this informed source, the hearing of the second case of Ali Khairjo and Meysam Joulani was held on December 8, 2019, in Branch 2 of the Ardabil Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Gadimi. In this hearing, another charge, titled "membership in groups and channels hostile to the regime in cyberspace," was added to their total charges.

The source says that the judge in the Revolutionary Court has referred the case to the prosecutor's office, declaring that the documents in the case are not convincing.

After participating in protest rallies in Urmia in support of the military action of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Karabakh, these two civil activists were arrested on October 10 in a raid by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in their homes. Finally, on November 29, they were temporarily released from Ardabil Central Prison after posting bail of 300 million Tomans each, pending the completion of the legal proceedings.

The source told VOA that Ali Khairjoo's wife, who had gone to the Ardabil investigation office to follow up on her husband's condition after the arrest of the two citizens living in Ardabil, was also arrested on charges of disrupting court order. Ms. Khairjoo was eventually released after 24 hours.

This is not the first time that an Azerbaijani activist has been arrested or sentenced to prison following an unfair trial. Voice of America previously reported that, in a continuation of the crackdown on civil activists, dissidents, and opponents of the Iranian regime's policies, the Islamic Republic's judiciary has sentenced another Azerbaijani civil activist, Salar Taher Afshar, to four years in prison.