Police Commander: We Will Confront Virtual Calls That Insult Sacred Values

The commander of Iran's police warned individuals who, according to him, insult sacred values by spreading calls on social media that they will face consequences. Hossein Ashtari, the police chief, addressed these individuals at the memorial for the 'martyrs' of Yazdil village in Aran and Bidgol, stating that they should not think people will 'obey' their calls. The police commander said, 'Anyone who insults sacred values and destroys public and state property will definitely be dealt with.' He did not specify any individual or group, but security and law enforcement officials of the Islamic Republic have always shown sensitivity to what they call 'insulting' sacred values in speeches, written texts, and various media, responding harshly to it. This response has even included the smallest humorous remarks about sacred values, as evidenced by the recent arrest and conviction of journalist Amir Hossein Esmaeili for a satirical tweet about the relationship between the death of the eighth Shia Imam and grapes. According to Hossein Ahmadi Niaz, the lawyer for this journalist, his client has been sentenced to ten years in prison, two years of prohibition from media and social media activities, two years of exit ban from the country, and a monetary fine based on several charges, including 'insulting sacred values and pure Imams.' Meanwhile, he added that Mr. Esmaeili did not intend to insult the eighth Imam of Shia and that 'the content of the tweet is not considered insulting.' The official religion in the Islamic Republic of Iran is Twelver Ja'fari Shia, and the laws against insulting sacred values in this country are derived from Islamic rulings. The Islamic Republic has used these laws against religious minorities and dissenters in the country, sentencing them to long-term imprisonment and deprivation of social rights. Previously, Iranian singers Shahin Najafi and Mohsen Namjoo were severely attacked by the Islamic Republic, clerics, and Hezbollah activists on social media due to their songs 'Taqi' and a song about the Quran, respectively. Soheil Arabi, a blogger, was sentenced to death for allegedly insulting Islamic sacred values through managing pages on Facebook.