Another Khamenei critic's 13-year prison sentence upheld in court of appeal

The 13-year prison sentence of Kamal Jafari Yazdi, a civil activist and university professor in Mashhad, was upheld by the Court of Appeals of Khorasan Razavi Province.

According to Radio Farda, the 13-year prison sentence of Kamal Jafari Yazdi, a university professor in Mashhad, on charges of "forming a gang with the intention of disrupting internal security," "propaganda activity against the regime," and "insulting the leadership," which was issued by the first-instance court about five months ago, was upheld by the Court of Appeals of Khorasan Razavi Province.

It should be noted that, according to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, only a ten-year prison sentence for the charge of "forming a gang or group with the intention of disrupting internal security" will be applicable as the most severe punishment.

Kamal Jafari Yazdi was arrested by security agents in August 2018 and released after three months on bail pending the completion of the trial.

This civil activist is one of the 14 signatories of the petition calling for Khamenei's resignation. Not long ago, a group of political activists gathered in front of the Mashhad courthouse to protest his 13-year prison sentence, and a number of these people were arrested by police and security forces.

In Iran, any criticism of the leader of the Islamic Republic is punished with severe punishment.

The treatment of the authors of the letter calling for Khamenei's resignation comes a few weeks after the letter was signed, while Reza Mehregan, one of its signatories, posted a video on social media announcing that he had been attacked and beaten with a taser by unknown individuals.

International human rights organizations and the United States government have also accused the Islamic Republic of violating freedom of expression and suppressing civil activists, and have called for the release of journalists who have been imprisoned simply for carrying out their duties and jobs.

The US State Department also says that the Iranian regime has arrested thousands of protesters, civil activists, and representatives of workers and other trade unions in the last two years.

Source: Voice of America