Three-Year Prison Sentence for Social Media Activist in Shahr-e Ray, Tehran Upheld

The three-year prison sentence for Mehrdad Mohammadnezhad, an economics student at Islamic Azad University and social media activist residing in Shahr-e Ray, which was previously issued by the Tehran Revolutionary Court, has been upheld by the Court of Appeals.

According to the Campaign to Defend Political and Civil Prisoners, the three-year prison sentence for Mehrdad Mohammadnezhad, which was previously issued by the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of “insulting officials and authorities” and “attempting to act against the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” has been upheld by Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals under the chairmanship of Judge Zargar.

Based on published information, the court hearing for this social media activist took place on Wednesday, September 4 (Shahrivar 13).

These sentences were upheld by the Court of Appeals while, according to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code regarding concurrent sentences, only two years of this sentence will be enforceable as the most severe punishment.

This prisoner, detained in Evin Prison, was arrested on Sunday, October 20, 2018 (Mehr 29, 1397) when eight officials from the Information Office raided his residence due to his Twitter activity. After a home search and the confiscation of several personal items including “a tablet, three mobile phones, several books, notes, and identification documents,” he was beaten and transferred to Evin Prison.

An informed source told the campaign: “After Mehrdad Mohammadnezhad’s arrest, the family had no news of him for several days until in a phone call with his older brother, he informed the family of his arrest and explained how he was apprehended by the Information Office.”

This is not the first time a social media activist has been arrested and sentenced to imprisonment. Previously, Abbas Nouri Shadkam, a civil activist and administrator of a Telegram channel, was sentenced to 35 years in prison by Branch 1 of the Criminal Court of Yazd Province.

The United States of America has repeatedly condemned human rights violations, labor rights abuses, and suppression of freedom of expression in Iran.

The U.S. State Department also states that the Iranian regime has arrested thousands of protesters, civil activists, and representatives of workers and other groups over the past two years.

Source: Voice of America