Abbas Salimi-Namin Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison and 74 Lashes

Abbas Salimi-Namin, head of the Iranian History Studies Office, has been sentenced to 6 months in prison and 74 lashes for making statements against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, and Abdollah Jasbi, the former head of Azad University. He was also fined 4 million tomans due to a complaint from the Tehran prosecutor's office for remarks against the judiciary and the Islamic Republic system. On Saturday, January 30, the Tasnim news agency reported that Salimi-Namin was sentenced by Branch 1057 of the General Criminal Court of Government Employees for an interview regarding Ahmadinejad's performance 'during his house arrest.' According to a published image of the 'verdict,' Salimi-Namin stated: 'The reasons for Ahmadinejad's delusions were not only due to the flattery of his entourage... he was never a reviver of the revolution.' He was also fined 100,000 tomans and sentenced to 74 lashes for statements against Abdollah Jasbi. According to the court's verdict, Salimi-Namin accused Azad University of 'institutionalizing bribery within the Islamic Republic system.' He emphasized that while Jasbi will certainly leave, the concern is whether the 'mechanism of corruption behind the scenes at Azad University' will end with Jasbi's departure. Additionally, Salimi-Namin was fined 4 million tomans for 'spreading falsehoods' based on a complaint from the Tehran prosecutor's office. He had previously stated on May 25, 2014, that 'unfortunately, the judiciary not only does not reduce the assault of the executive branch against healthy critics but seeks to strengthen this assault.' Salimi-Namin, a principlist political figure and close to the Islamic Republic government, expressed in a letter regarding his trial on January 13 that he submitted a written objection to this process, stating that due to ignorance of the contents of some items mentioned in the indictment, he was unable to defend himself. Over the years, Abbas Salimi-Namin has criticized Abdollah Jasbi's performance during his presidency at Azad University. He has also been a critic of some actions taken by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. On May 18, 2012, Salimi-Namin accused Iranian state television of showing an 'unrealistic image' of the people's reception of Ahmadinejad during his trip to Mashhad.