New charges against Azerbaijani civil rights activist Siamak Mirzaei before the end of his seven-year prison sentence

Siamak Mirzaei, a imprisoned Turkish (Azerbaijani) activist, faced a new charge of "propaganda against the system" after being summoned to Evin Prosecutor's Office.

The Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners reported on Wednesday, July 25, that civil activist Siamak Mirzaei was tried by the branch's investigator on charges of "propaganda against the system" after being transferred to Branch 6 of the Evin Prosecutor's Office. He was granted bail of 30 million Tomans.

An informed source told the campaign: “A phone call from prison to Mr. Abbas Lesani and other national activists” and “a food strike in prison” are two of the reasons for the charges presented to Mr. Mirzaei by the investigator.

Mr. Mirzaei is facing a new charge of "propaganda against the system" while his three-year sentence will end on Friday, July 28.

Siamak Mirzaei was arrested on July 14, 2016, by intelligence officers in Parsabad Moghan County, Ardabil Province, and transferred to Ward 209 in Evin Prison. After undergoing interrogation, he was transferred to the general ward of Evin Prison on November 12 of the same year.

This civil activist was sentenced to ten years in prison and two years of exile to Tabas city by Judge Hassani, the head of the Baharestan Revolutionary Court, on the charge of "forming a group or crowd with the intention of disrupting the country's security." This sentence was reduced to three years in prison and one year of exile to Tabas city by Branch 36 of the Tehran Provincial Court of Appeal.

According to a report by Amnesty International, in 2018, more than seven thousand people, including participants in demonstrations, students, journalists, women's rights activists, environmental activists, labor activists, and ethnic and religious minority rights activists, were arrested in Iran, and hundreds were sentenced to prison.

Source: Voice of America