Exclusive: Confirmation of a 10-Year Prison Sentence for a Protester from Behbahan

An informed source told Voice of America that the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Mahshahr confirmed the sentence of over 10 years of imprisonment for Majid Khademi, a protester arrested in December 2019. According to documents obtained by the Persian section of Voice of America, Majid Khademi, in addition to 10 years and three months of imprisonment, six years and three months of which are enforceable, has been sentenced to two years of travel ban and deprivation of membership in political and social groups. According to a source close to Majid Khademi, since he has been arrested twice before and spent 20 months in the prisons of Behbahan and Shiban Ahvaz, his family is 'worried and disturbed' by the notification of this sentence. 'Mandatory participation in explanatory classes with the invitation of expert specialists' is another punishment that the Islamic Revolutionary Court has imposed on this protesting student. Majid Khademi was arrested in December 2019 by the Ministry of Intelligence. According to this informed source, he was a final-year undergraduate student at Azad University of Behbahan at the time of his arrest and was subsequently 'prohibited from studying.' This informed source told Voice of America that the file of this protesting student was sent to Branch 2 of the Behbahan Investigative Court after 'two months of torture and solitary confinement and interrogation' and then, with the charges of 'propaganda against the regime, insulting the leadership, disturbing public order, damaging public property, conspiracy against national security, rebellion, and corruption on earth,' he was sent to Behbahan prison. This protester from Behbahan in Khuzestan province was temporarily released from this city's prison after '18 months of detention' on a bail of '3 billion and 500 million tomans.' According to the informed source, a year later, while Majid Khademi was summoned to Branch 1 of the Mahshahr Revolutionary Court for his final defense, he was 're-arrested with new charges' under the title of 'propaganda against the regime' and after spending 'one month in solitary confinement,' he was transferred to Shiban Ahvaz prison and a month later, 'this time with a bail of 200 million tomans,' he was temporarily released. In the ruling issued, which was communicated online on Tuesday, July 6 of this year, it is stated that by applying Article 442 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 'one-eighth' of the maximum punishment and enforceable imprisonment has been reduced. According to Article 442 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 'in all punitive convictions, if the prosecutor has not requested a review of the issued sentence, the convicted person may, before the end of the appeal period, waive their right to appeal or withdraw their appeal by referring to the issuing court and request a reduction of the punishment.' The protests of December 2019 arose following the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane by Revolutionary Guards missiles in various parts of Iran and continued for several days. The wave of protests over the killing of 176 passengers on flight PS752 of the Ukrainian airline followed widespread protests in November 2019 after a sudden increase in gasoline prices. In November of that year, hundreds of protesters were killed by direct gunfire as peaceful public protests were suppressed by government forces.