Another signatory of Khamenei's resignation letter sentenced to 9 years in prison
Mohammad Mahdavifar, a political activist and one of the signatories of Ayatollah Khamenei's resignation letter, who was arrested by security forces in July of this year, was sentenced to 9 years in prison by a criminal court.
The Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners announced in a report on Wednesday, February 6, that this political activist has been sentenced to a total of 9 years in prison by the Aran and Bidgol Criminal Court on charges of "propaganda activity against the system" and "inciting people to fight and kill each other with the intention of disrupting the country's security."
This sentence was issued to this political activist by the criminal court, even though, if confirmed and based on Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, which states that sentences can be combined, only 7 years and six months of this sentence will be applicable as the maximum punishment for the charge of "inciting people to fight and kill each other with the intention of disrupting the security of the country."
Previously, the Voice of America reported that eight of the signatories of the letter of resignation of Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, namely Hashem Khastar, Mohammad Nourizad, Abdolrasoul Mortazavi, Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, Fatemeh Sepehri, Hashem Rajaei, Mohammad Hossein Pour, and Morteza Ghasemi, were sentenced by Branch 4 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court to a total of 72 years in prison, a 6-year ban on leaving the country, and 6 years in exile.
In June of this year, 14 political and civil activists issued a statement addressed to Khamenei, calling for his resignation and changing the Iranian constitution, which they said had created a dictatorial parliament, an unelected government, and an independent judiciary.
The Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners, in another report published on Wednesday, February 6, stated that Narges Mansouri, another signatory of Khamenei's resignation letter, was sentenced to 6 years in prison and a two-year ban on membership in political parties, social groups, and organizations based on a verdict issued on November 16 by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of colluding against the regime and propagandizing against the regime.
According to this report and the verdict issued by Ms. Mansouri, she has also been sentenced to transcribe from two books, "Justice in the Whirlpool and Da," as an additional punishment under the title of specific work.
In mid-August of this year, 14 female civil activists, considering the inequalities and problems of women in Iran, published a letter calling for the Islamic Republic to be abolished and a new constitution to be drafted.
Earlier, the Islamic Republic's security officials had accused the signatories of these letters of trying to "plan a new sedition." Many of the signatories of these two letters have been arrested in recent days.
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 who have been imprisoned simply for carrying out their duties and careers.
The US State Department also says that the Iranian regime has arrested thousands of protesters, civil activists, representatives of workers and other trade unions in the last two years.
Source: Voice of America
