Prison Sentence of Artist Who Protested IRGC Missile Strike on Ukrainian Plane Upheld
The three-year prison sentence of Masoud Hakamabadi, a researcher and theater producer in Iran, which was previously issued by the Revolutionary Court, has been upheld by the Appeals Court and has been implemented.
This Iranian researcher and artist was sentenced to three years in prison by the Mashhad Revolutionary Court in late Khordad of this year on charges of “propaganda activity against the system” and insulting Ayatollah Khomeini. The sentence was reportedly upheld by the Appeals Court of Razavi Khorasan Province in recent days, and according to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, two years of this sentence has been sent to execution as the most severe punishment.
Mr. Hakamabadi announced on Sunday, Shahrivar 16, by posting an image of Mashhad Central Prison on his Instagram, confirming the news, stating that “this image you see is my new home. A place where I must spend [perhaps less, perhaps more] two years.”
This Iranian artist also alluded in his Instagram post, referring to the fact that all Iranian citizens are potentially criminals, that it may come a time when someone could be brought to court simply for reading the same content that he, as a prisoner, wrote on Instagram, under a pretext such as “disturbing public opinion.”
Masoud Hakamabadi considered “the matter of withdrawing from the Fajr Festival” as one of the factors involved in issuing his prison sentence in this Instagram post.
Mr. Hakamabadi also announced on his Twitter account that on Monday, Shahrivar 17, he will go to Mashhad Central Prison to serve his sentence.
Previously, Voice of America reported that some Iranian media outlets cited the boycott of the Fajr Festival as one of the reasons for the conviction of this theater producer to three years in prison.
Based on available information, Masoud Hakamabadi was arrested on the 28th of Dey month in 1398 by security forces due to his refusal to attend the Fajr Festival. This Iranian researcher and artist boycotted the festival in protest of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ missile strike on a Ukrainian airplane.
The U.S. Department of State has repeatedly condemned the violent behavior of the Islamic Republic regime against the Iranian people, including civil activists, under various pretexts, as well as the repeated and ongoing violations of the rights of Iranian citizens by regime officials.
Source: DW
