A Civil Activist from Shadegan Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison
Adel Asakereh, a civil activist and rural school teacher in Khuzestan, has been sentenced to 9 years in prison by the public and revolutionary prosecutor’s office of Shadegan County.
Karim Dahimi, a human rights activist, said on Tuesday, June 24, in a statement to Voice of America regarding the verdict issued for Adel Asakereh, a rural school teacher in Khuzestan, that this civil activist has been sentenced to 9 years in prison in recent days by the public and revolutionary prosecutor’s office of Shadegan County on charges of “disturbing public opinion,” “insulting the leader and officials,” and “action against national security.”
According to Mr. Dahimi, the complainant in this case was the “Judicial Support Office for the Devoted,” and the issued verdict is the final decision of the public and revolutionary prosecutor’s office.
This human rights activist attributed the charges and verdict against Mr. Asakereh to his activities in cyberspace and told Voice of America that Adel Asakereh was a teacher at Ashrafieh Esfahan School in the village of Safaheh, a suburb of Shadegan County, who, after beginning his work in this village, made numerous criticisms on social media regarding the plundering of villagers’ lands in the area, the economic and livelihood problems of citizens in Khuzestan Province, and the budget allocated to the seminary and its affiliated centers by government officials. According to this human rights activist, this caused Mr. Asakereh’s arrest in the month of Ordibehesht of last year and the issuance of a prison sentence for him.
Karim Dahimi, the human rights activist, also told Voice of America regarding the village of “Safaheh” that this village is a suburb of Shadegan County, where most of its lands have been plundered by the subsidiary sugar cane industries company (Salman Farsi Company), but the villagers have resisted and not left their lands, and currently this village is surrounded by the fields of this company’s sugar cane. He also said that these villagers are currently struggling with water shortage and lack of electricity.
According to Mr. Dahimi, Adel Asakereh, who holds a master’s degree in history, was previously arrested on March 6, 2019, by security forces, and after several months of interrogation, charge notification, and solitary confinement, was temporarily released on a bail of 5 billion rials until the end of legal proceedings.
This is not the first time that a civil activist in Iran has faced heavy sentences such as long-term imprisonment due to his or her criticism of the functioning of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s authorities and expression of views regarding the economic and livelihood problems of Iranian citizens. Previously, the U.S. State Department has repeatedly condemned violent treatment and widespread suppression of protesters as well as repeated and continuous violations of the rights of Iranian citizens, including labor rights activists and syndicate activists, by the ruling regime in that country.
Source: Voice of America
