Court Issues Suspended Sentences for Attackers of Ali Motahari in Shiraz

According to statements from Ali Motahari's lawyer, the court reviewing the attack on this member of parliament in Shiraz has issued suspended sentences for the attackers and two managers of Shiraz University, while the secretary of the organization that invited him has been fined one million tomans. Mustafa Torkhamdani explained on Sunday, January 3, that the court sentenced six of the attackers to two years in prison and 10 lashes for 'disturbing public order and insulting and damaging public property,' but this sentence is 'suspended for two years.' He also mentioned that two other attackers were sentenced to four and a half months in prison and 37 lashes for 'insulting,' with a one-year suspension of their sentence as well. In 'suspended sentences,' if the defendant is not convicted of a similar crime during the specified period by the court, the issued sentence will not be executed. A one million toman fine was imposed for 'facilitating the speech.' According to the report, the student who invited Motahari was fined one million tomans for 'aiding in the refusal of university orders and regulations by inviting Ali Motahari and facilitating his speech.' Motahari's lawyer also reported that two university administrators were sentenced to two years of suspension from service, with one of them receiving a two-year suspension of the sentence. Reports indicate that the court condemned these university administrators for failing to implement the resolution of the Shiraz Security Council. This is while Motahari and his lawyer had previously stated that they do not have a complaint against the university officials, and the Shiraz Security Council did not have a resolution prohibiting Motahari's speech. It was previously announced that in addition to the eight defendants in the case who were the attackers, the president and vice president of Shiraz University and the secretary of the student organization that invited him were also among the defendants. Ali Motahari traveled to Shiraz on March 9, 2015, to give a speech at Shiraz University, where he was 'beaten by plainclothes forces at the airport' and ultimately forced to return to Tehran. He had previously implied that some of his attackers were affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Motahari also stated that the attackers in Shiraz had 'organizational orders' and called for the prosecution of the 'commanders and orders' behind the attack on him. The fourth and final session of the court regarding the attack on Motahari was held on Tuesday, November 10.