Ejei: Two Defendants Convicted of Spying for the U.S. and Israel Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for Iran's judiciary, announced on Sunday, September 8, at a press conference that two defendants accused of spying for the U.S. and Israel have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court. He did not provide further details about the case of these individuals. In recent years, several individuals have been arrested on charges of espionage for the U.S. and Israel, facing sentences of execution or long-term imprisonment, including Amir Hekmati and Jason Rezaian. Previously, there were reports about a potential exchange of these individuals with Iranian prisoners in the U.S., but Hassan Qashqavi, the deputy for consular and parliamentary affairs at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, denied this, stating: 'The issue of exchanging prisoners [Iranians and Americans] is not on the table and such a thing is not true.' According to ISNA news agency, the judiciary spokesperson also reported on Sunday that four individuals who, according to him, were 'conducting security actions under pseudonyms in cyberspace and promoting immorality and insulting sacred values' have been arrested and tried. Ejei stated that one of these individuals was sentenced to 12 years in prison for committing multiple crimes, while the others received shorter sentences, including one of four years. In recent years, several social media activists and group page creators on Facebook have been arrested and sentenced to prison. Iranian media reported on July 22, 2014, that eight Facebook social media activists were sentenced by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Mohammad Moghiseh, to a total of 127 years in prison. These individuals received sentences ranging from 8 to 21 years, but reports indicate that their sentences were reduced in the appeals court. In another part of his remarks, the judiciary spokesperson referred to construction activities in the Heyran Pass that began in 2003, adding: 'Our point to the officials is where have you been for the past 12 years and what preventive measures have you taken?' He emphasized that 'almost all' constructions in this area were carried out with permits, 'but the qualifications of those who issued these permits are also questionable.' Qobad Afshar, head of the Land Affairs Organization, reported on Saturday, September 7, about 300 cases of 'illegal' construction in the Heyran Pass, located in northwestern Iran, and stated that the case of the district governor of this area has been sent to court. The land-grabbing case in the Heyran Pass arose after Safar Naeimi Raz, the representative of Astara, and Kamaleddin Pir-Moazen, the representative of Ardabil in Parliament, accused each other of land grabbing in this area. Ejei also mentioned the discovery of a mobile phone and gold coins from Mehdi Hashemi in prison during 'surprise inspections' of wards 7 and 8 of Evin Prison. He added: 'Of course, bringing coins is not illegal, but possessing a mobile phone is illegal. It should be noted that phones and flash drives have also been discovered from some other prisoners.' Mehdi Hashemi reported to Evin Prison on Sunday, August 9, to serve his sentence. Surprise inspections of prisoners have previously made headlines. While judiciary officials accuse prisoners of possessing mobile phones, some websites of the 2009 presidential election protesters claim that having communication devices during imprisonment is a right of prisoners according to the law. The judiciary spokesperson also denied reports about the arrest of the deputy head of the judiciary's information protection department. Previously, the Saham News website reported that 'Ahmadi,' the deputy head of the judiciary's information protection, was arrested on charges of several illegal acts, including 'facilitation of illegal work,' 'violating public property rights,' 'rape,' 'acquisition of illicit assets,' and 'extortion.'