Six people arrested during November protests sentenced to prison
Six citizens of Urmia who were arrested during the November protests have been sentenced to a total of 48 months in prison by the Revolutionary Court. These individuals are: Keyvan Pashaei, Ali Azizi, Amin Zare, Salar Taher Afshar, Eliar Hosseinzadeh, and Yasin Hassanpour.
According to the Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners, these citizens from Urmia were sentenced on Tuesday, March 17, by Branch 101 of Criminal Court 2 of Urmia City, presided over by Judge Hamid Golinejad, to 8 months in prison each and 20 lashes, including the days of detention, on the charge of "disturbing public order by participating in illegal gatherings and protests and blocking the street."
The issued verdict states that the prison sentences of these citizens were issued based on Article 618 of the Islamic Penal Code approved in 1975, and these individuals were sentenced to pay a fine of 15 million rials in lieu of 8 months of imprisonment; on the other hand, the sentences of Keyvan Pashaei, Amin Zare, and Salar Taher Afshar have been suspended for three years due to the lack of a criminal conviction record and the absence of a private plaintiff.
According to this report, this verdict was delivered in person to Keyvan Pashaei, Amin Zare, and Salar Taher Afshar, and can be appealed within 20 days in the West Azerbaijan Provincial Court of Appeal. The verdict against Ali Azizi and Eliar Hassanzadeh was also issued in absentia and can be appealed within 20 days.
Previously, Voice of America reported that Ali Azizi was arrested on Sunday, March 25, when security agents went to his father's house. It should be noted that this Azerbaijani activist is currently serving his sentence in Tabriz Central Prison.
Protests over the increase in gasoline prices began on Friday, November 14, in various cities in Iran, including Mashhad, Khuzestan, Ahvaz, Khorramshahr, and Behbahan, and gradually spread to all regions of the country.
The United States says the Islamic Republic is spending its wealth, rather than the Iranian people, on supporting terrorist groups and destabilizing the Middle East. The United States has also repeatedly condemned the institutionalized financial corruption and looting of Iran's God-given assets by regime affiliates, calling them among the main causes of Iran's economic and financial problems.
For example, not long ago, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in several tweets about the Islamic Republic's officials that instead of helping the people, they were involved in corruption.
Source: Voice of America
