An Arab citizen from Khuzestan was sentenced to more than 5 years in prison.
Rasoul Chaldavi, an Ahwazi Arab citizen, has been sentenced to 5 years and six months in prison in two separate cases by the Revolutionary Court and the Ahvaz Criminal Court.
According to news published on social media, this Arab citizen from Ahvaz and a prisoner imprisoned in Sheiban Prison was sentenced to five years in prison in one of his cases on the charge of "gathering and demonstrating to commit a crime against the country's internal security by participating in separatist gatherings in Farvardin 2018," which was heard by Branch 2 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court, and to six months in prison for the charge of "throwing stones at NAJA officers" by Branch 102 of the Ahvaz Criminal Court No. 2.
The ruling states that two years of Rasoul Chaldavi's five-year prison sentence will be served in Hamedan Prison as a supplementary punishment, in accordance with Note 3 of Article 513 of the Judicial Code. According to this note and article, if the place of residence of the person sentenced to imprisonment is outside the jurisdiction of the court that issued the ruling, the person will be transferred to the prison of his residence to serve the remainder of his sentence.
These reports state that this Ahwazi citizen was transferred to Hamedan Prison on Monday, January 29, to serve 2 years of his sentence, but the prison authorities refused to hand Mr. Chaldavi over and he was transferred back to Sheiban Prison.
According to available information, Rasoul Chaldawi was arrested by security agents at his home in early November 2018 in a series of mass arrests following the attack on the armed forces parade in Ahvaz. During his interrogation at the Intelligence Department's detention center, he was forced to confess due to "severe physical and mental torture."
During a military parade in the city of Ahvaz on September 21, marking the start of the Iran-Iraq War, a group of people attacked the parade with weapons. At least 25 people were killed and 60 were injured in the attack, including civilians. Following this incident, security forces began mass arrests of civil society activists and citizens, and about 700 people have been arrested in Khuzestan province since the attack.
The US State Department has repeatedly and on various occasions condemned the violent confrontations and widespread repression of protesters, as well as the repeated and persistent violations of the rights of Iranian citizens by the ruling regime in that country.
Source: Voice of America
