Heavy prison sentence for Shazand citizen for writing slogans and attending Cyrus ceremony
Ruhollah Hedayati, a citizen of the city of Shazand and known as "Ahora", who was arrested last November, was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court.
Mr. Hedayati, who was released on bail last year after about two months, was sentenced to a total of 13 years and four months in prison on charges of propaganda against the regime, membership in groups with the intention of disrupting the country's security, insulting sacred places, and insulting the leadership.
The HRANA website, which publishes human rights news in Iran, reported that the verdict issued by Branch 1 of the Shazand Revolutionary Court stated that the verdict was issued based on the defendant's explicit confession to attending the Cyrus the Great memorial ceremony on November 27, 2016 in Shiraz, the film and photos taken of the ceremony in which the defendant was present, the defendant's confession to writing slogans on the walls and facilities of the Arak detention center, and reports from the Arak Intelligence Department.
In the past three years, the presence of thousands of people at the tomb of Cyrus the Great on the 7th of Aban has caused security concerns for the Iranian government. People at these gatherings chanted slogans in support of the Pahlavi dynasty.
This year they didn't even allow people to visit the tomb of Cyrus.
Source: Voice of America
