Sadegh Zibakalam Sentenced to Imprisonment and Ban from Social and Political Activities

The Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Sadegh Zibakalam, a political science professor at Tehran University and a prominent critic, to 18 months of prison and a two-year ban from social and political activities for allegedly propagating against the regime. On Sunday, March 13, he announced his conviction in a video on social media from Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Salavati, emphasizing that he would appeal the ruling. In the video, he expressed disbelief at the verdict, stating that if enforced, it would prevent him from all journalistic activities and online presence for two years. He also noted on his Facebook page that 'Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code defines the maximum punishment for propaganda against the regime as three months to one year, but Judge Salavati added six months due to my prior record.' Zibakalam's charges relate to his positions on the nationwide protests in December of this year and his interview with Deutsche Welle Germany, where he strongly criticized the regime's violence against protesters and targeted officials who attributed the protests to foreign countries like Saudi Arabia. His criticisms also extended to reformists, whom he labeled as the main losers in the situation for their stance against the protesters, stating in the Deutsche Welle interview that the public has moved past reformists. He further claimed that 'if a referendum were held, at best, one-third of voters would support the Islamic Republic.' In recent days, Zibakalam attempted to share details of his trial process on social media. On Tuesday, he wrote on his Facebook page: 'I feel they want to convict me. The speed of the case formation was astonishing. It took no more than 10 days from interrogation to trial. The trial date was also communicated to my wife by phone, and ultimately, my previous case had the same charge and was sent to the judiciary and government employees; however, this one was sent to the Revolutionary Court and Judge Salavati.' He also stated in an open letter to Judge Abolghasem Salavati that the charge of propaganda against the regime is 'a tool for punishing critics and preventing the expression of opinions that contradict the regime's thoughts' and emphasized that this is not a real crime. In part of this letter, he wrote: 'In any society where the law prevails and citizens enjoy freedom of expression, accusations of propaganda and spreading falsehoods against [the regime] become irrelevant. The true meaning of the accusation of propaganda against the regime is expressing an idea contrary to the regime's viewpoint. A look at my indictment is the best evidence that my real crime is not aligning with some of the regime's opinions and thoughts.' Sadegh Zibakalam has twenty days to appeal the ruling. He expressed hope for acquittal or at least a reduction in the severity of the sentence.