Environmental Activist Sentenced to Prison; Youssef Farahdi-Babayi: Ruling Issued Without Opportunity for Defense

Youssef Farahdi-Babayi, an environmental activist and member of the 'People's Campaign to Support the Kind Zagros', announced on Wednesday, September 19, that a 'one-year prison sentence and a 15 million rial fine' has been confirmed by the appeals court. He wrote on the social media platform 'X' that this ruling was confirmed 'without knowing which branch issued the verdict and without having a definitive opportunity for defense, and it has gone for execution of sentences.' Mr. Farahdi-Babayi stated that 'as soon as I am notified, I will turn myself in.' This environmental activist also mentioned that after several visits to the judiciary, he was told that 'an SMS would be sent to you after the appellate branch is determined; not only did I not receive an SMS for the determination of the branch, but I was not even notified of the verdict.' He added: 'What is the reason for this level of secrecy in dealing with the baseless accusations against me? How naive I was to wait for the determination of the branch to send my defenses to the appeals court.' Youssef Farahdi-Babayi addressed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stating: 'Even in the tyrannical regime, individuals had the opportunity for defense, at least in appearance; trial is your right, but defense is also our right.' According to the Harana news agency, Mr. Farahdi-Babayi was summoned to the first branch of the Evin Prosecutor's Office in late April this year, and the indictment against him for the charges of 'propaganda against the regime' and 'spreading falsehoods through cyberspace' was issued in May. Based on this report, this civil activist was arrested on February 17, 2019. Previously, the security and judicial apparatus of the Islamic Republic has dealt with civil activists, including environmentalists.