Yaver Soltani Arrested and Transferred to Makoo Prison to Serve His Sentence

Yaver Soltani, a Turkish (Azerbaijani) activist from Makoo, was arrested on Monday, December 9th and transferred to Makoo Prison to serve his sentence. Mr. Soltani was previously sentenced by Makoo Criminal Court at the primary stage to one year of discretionary imprisonment. At the appellate stage, eight months of this sentence was suspended for two years.

According to a report by Hrana news agency, the news outlet of human rights activists in Iran, on Monday, December 9th, 1399 (Lunar Hijri calendar), Yaver Soltani, a Turkish (Azerbaijani) activist from Makoo, was arrested and transferred to Makoo Prison to serve his sentence.

Mr. Soltani was arrested on July 14th, 1399 by IRGC intelligence forces in Makoo and transferred to the city’s prison. It is reported that he had been critical of the installation of a statue in the main square of Makoo. He was ultimately released on July 15th on a 50 million toman bail from Makoo Prison.

At the primary stage, Mr. Soltani was sentenced by Branch 101 of Criminal Court 2 in Makoo, headed by Judge Erfani Alamdari, to one year of discretionary imprisonment on charges of “disturbing public opinion and issuing a call to disrupt public order.” At the appellate stage, Branch 13 of the Appellate Court of West Azerbaijan Province reduced eight months of this sentence and suspended it for two years.

Yaver Soltani is a graduate of mechanical engineering from Urmia University and is a civil engineering student at Makoo Azad University.

Mr. Soltani has a previous record of arrest and conviction. He was previously detained on November 20th, 1394 during a football match between Tabriz Tractor and Siyah Jamegan teams following his protest against a fuse program, and was ultimately released on bail. Subsequently, Mr. Soltani was sentenced by Branch 112 of Criminal Court 2 of Tabriz Judiciary, headed by Judge Mohammad Ali Peeri, on charges of “participation in disrupting public order and peace through creating tumult and commotion” to five million rials in cash penalty in lieu of imprisonment and three million rials in cash penalty in lieu of flogging.

Source: Hrana