Hossein Shanbezadeh: I Have Not Been Accused of Espionage, I Am a Prisoner of a Dot

Hossein Shanbezadeh, an editor and social media activist, emphasized in a message from prison that he has not been tried on charges of 'espionage' and that even joking about this accusation has added to his hardships in prison. In the message published on Friday, November 11, through his brother on X (formerly Twitter), Shanbezadeh also stated that even 'the most malicious and evil creature in the world would probably not take this accusation against him seriously.' Shanbezadeh was arrested on June 5 of this year during a trip to Ardabil after a period of being out of contact with his family. In 2019, he was also tried and sentenced to prison for his activities on social media and the accusation of 'insulting the sacred and the leader of the Islamic Republic.' Before his recent arrest, the account of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic on X published a picture of members of the student national volleyball team, which had a caption without a dot. In reaction to this post by Ali Khamenei, Shanbezadeh simply placed a dot under the image without using any words. The editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, in a note referencing Shanbezadeh's arrest for placing 'a dot under Khamenei's post,' wrote that this arrest proves that the regime is so afraid of the people that it even arrests them for 'saying nothing.' In his message, Shanbezadeh stated regarding his accusations for which he has been sentenced to prison: 'In any case, I consider myself a prisoner of a dot forever. This title, although not devoid of sarcasm and humor, I find fitting for myself.' The Revolutionary Court sentenced Hossein Shanbezadeh to 12 years in prison. Amir Reisiyaan, Shanbezadeh's lawyer, announced on September 1 of this year that the Revolutionary Court's ruling had been communicated to his client, stating that he was sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison, of which five years are enforceable as 'the severest punishment.' According to the lawyer, the court sentenced him to five years for 'propaganda activities in favor of the occupying regime of Israel,' four years for 'insulting the sacred,' and two years for 'spreading falsehoods and disturbing public opinion,' along with a fine of fifty million tomans. Shanbezadeh was also sentenced to one year in prison for 'propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic,' making a total of 12 years, of which five years are enforceable. Reisiyaan mentioned that one of the lawyers' objections to this case is that the charge of propaganda in favor of Israel 'lacks a specific material element, and the case only refers to his private chats.'