Judiciary Reiterates Enforcement of Zibakalam's Sentence; Legal Compliance Affirmed

Asghar Jahangir, the spokesperson for the judiciary, reiterated today that "the arrest and detention of Sadegh Zibakalam were in accordance with the law" and that he "has previous convictions." According to the IRNA news agency, Jahangir, who was in Yasuj with Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, responded to a question about Zibakalam's arrest by stating: "He had three definitive sentences that had been executed, and he went to the enforcement of sentences to serve his term." The arrest and transfer of this political analyst in recent days have generated significant reactions. Sadegh Zibakalam, a university professor and political analyst, was arrested on Sunday, May 23, while it was announced that he would attend the book fair to unveil his new book titled "Why Aren't You Arrested and What Happens in the End?" The Mizan news agency, the media outlet of the judiciary, confirmed Zibakalam's arrest, stating that he "has multiple legal cases" with three definitive and executed sentences. This judiciary-affiliated media also confirmed that Zibakalam's imprisonment is related to his comments and interviews with media and social networks, claiming that the statements of this university professor were "false" and "without claim and evidence." According to this report, Sadegh Zibakalam was sentenced to "18 months in prison and two years of prohibition from political parties, groups, and social media" for "propaganda against the regime," and in another case with the same accusation, he was sentenced to "one year in prison." Additionally, this university professor was sentenced to "six months in prison" for "spreading false information," which was upheld despite an appeal to the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic. With the execution of these three sentences, Sadegh Zibakalam was arrested and transferred to prison on Sunday. Previously, in response to the question of why he was not arrested, which led to the writing of a book titled "Why Aren't You Arrested and What Happens in the End?", he stated in a video that "in fact, this question of why you are not arrested has become like a nightmare for me." Sadegh Zibakalam recently told Voice of America: "With every tweet I write, I am worried that the prosecutor will file a complaint against me." The pressures and interventions of the Iranian government's security institutions in universities and the crackdown on protesting professors and students have intensified since September 2022, following the onset of nationwide protests.