Gholamhossein Karbaschi Sentenced to One Year in Prison by IRGC Intelligence Complaint

Gholamhossein Karbaschi, the Secretary-General of the Construction Party, has been sentenced to one year in prison following a complaint by the IRGC Intelligence Organization. The one-year prison sentence was issued on Wednesday, March 7, by Judge Salavati in Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court. The IRGC Intelligence had accused Karbaschi of 'propaganda activities against the regime.' Criticism of Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, in an interview with the Abrar newspaper in 2015 is one of the allegations; Karbaschi had asked why Jannati 'used God, the Prophet, and Imam Zaman in sermons to justify Ahmadinejad's actions, but later, when the wrongdoings and issues of that government became clear, he showed no feelings and said nothing.' His election speeches in Tabriz and Shiraz in 2015, as well as 'questioning the governing system of the Islamic Republic and claiming the existence of dictatorship in the system,' are other instances cited as propaganda against the regime. 'Questioning the decisions and actions of the judiciary in dealing with detainees from the 2009 protests, defending Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi' were also presented by the IRGC as examples of 'propaganda activities against the regime' to the Revolutionary Court. Referring to Mir Hossein Mousavi as 'Seyyed Mazloom' during a presidential iftar in 2015 is also mentioned in Karbaschi's case as an example of propaganda against the regime. 'Publishing a picture of Seyyed Mohammad Khatami and the Minister of Intelligence' on Instagram and 'blackening and depicting a security atmosphere' are additional allegations against the Secretary-General of the Construction Party. Gholamhossein Karbaschi stated in an interview with ILNA news agency: 'I appeared in court 20 days ago and made a half-hour defense, and today (Wednesday) the verdict was issued.' According to him, 'collusion and other matters' were part of the accusations that the prosecutor's office did not accept. The Secretary-General of the Construction Party noted that the law prescribes a prison sentence of three months to one year for propaganda activities against the regime, and Judge Salavati issued a one-year prison sentence. Karbaschi has appealed Judge Salavati's ruling.