Six Detainees from November Protests Sentenced to Prison
Six citizens from Urmia who were arrested during the November protests have been sentenced to a total of 48 months in prison by the Revolutionary Court. The names of these individuals are: Keyvan Pashayee, Ali Azizi, Amin Zarei, Salar Taher Afshar, Iliyar Hassanzadeh, and Yassin Hassanpur.
According to a report by the Campaign to Defend Political and Civil Prisoners, these Urmia residents were sentenced on Tuesday, March 18, by Branch 101 of Criminal Court 2 of Urmia County, presided over by Judge Hamid Golinezhad, on charges of “disrupting public order through participation in illegal gatherings and protests and blocking streets.” Each was sentenced to 8 months in prison and 20 lashes, with time served counted toward their sentence.
According to the court ruling issued, the prison sentences were issued pursuant to Article 618 of the Islamic Penal Code approved in 1996, and these individuals were sentenced to pay 15 million rials as a financial penalty in lieu of 8 months of disciplinary imprisonment. On the other hand, the sentences of Keyvan Pashayee, Amin Zarei, and Salar Taher Afshar have been suspended for three years due to the lack of prior criminal convictions and the absence of a private complainant.
According to this report, the ruling was personally delivered to Keyvan Pashayee, Amin Zarei, and Salar Taher Afshar and is subject to appeal within 20 days at the Court of Appeals of West Azerbaijan Province. The sentences of Ali Azizi and Iliyar Hassanzadeh were issued in absentia and are subject to objection within 20 days.
Previously, Voice of America reported that Ali Azizi was arrested on Sunday, February 23, when security officials visited his father’s home. It is worth noting that this Azerbaijani activist is currently serving his detention at the Central Prison of Tabriz.
Protests against rising gasoline prices began on Friday, November 15, in various Iranian cities including Mashhad, Khuzestan, Ahvaz, Khorramshahr, and Behbahan, and gradually spread to all regions of the country.
America says the Islamic Republic is spending the country’s wealth on supporting terrorist groups and destabilizing the Middle East instead of helping the Iranian people. The United States has also repeatedly condemned systemic financial corruption and the plundering of Iran’s natural resources by officials affiliated with the ruling regime and has identified them as among the main causes of Iran’s economic and financial problems.
Some time ago, Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State, tweeted about Islamic Republic officials saying that instead of helping people, they have become involved in corruption.
Source: Voice of America
