13-Year Prison Sentence of Another Khamenei Critic Upheld in Appeals Court

The 13-year prison sentence of Kamal Jafari Yazdi, a civil activist and university professor in Mashhad, has been upheld by the Appeals Court of Razavi Khorasan Province.

According to Radio Farda, the 13-year prison sentence handed down to Mashhad university professor Kamal Jafari Yazdi approximately five months ago by the primary court on charges of “forming a group with the intent to undermine domestic security,” “propaganda activities against the system,” and “insulting the supreme leader” has been confirmed by the Appeals Court of Razavi Khorasan Province.

It should be noted that according to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, only the 10-year prison sentence for the charge of “forming a group with the intent to undermine domestic security” will be executable as the maximum penalty.

Kamal Jafari Yazdi was arrested by security forces in August 2018 and was released on bail after three months pending the completion of legal proceedings.

This civil activist is one of 14 signatories of a petition calling for Khamenei’s resignation. Several weeks ago, a group of political activists gathered in front of Mashhad’s judiciary to protest his 13-year prison sentence, and a number of these individuals were arrested by police and security forces.

In Iran, any criticism of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic is severely punished.

The treatment of the petition signers comes as Reza Mehregan, another signatory, posted a video on social media weeks after signing the petition announcing that he had been attacked and beaten by unknown individuals using a taser.

International human rights organizations and the United States government have accused the Islamic Republic of violating freedom of expression and suppressing civil activists, and have called for the release of journalists imprisoned solely for carrying out their profession and duties.

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

Source: Voice of America