The Prosecutor of Ardabil Announced One of the Charges Against Hossein Shandeh Zadeh as 'Connection with High-Ranking Mossad Officers'

The prosecutor of Ardabil stated that the charges against Hossein Shandeh Zadeh, a social media activist, translator, and editor, include 'connection with high-ranking Mossad officers,' 'insulting sacred values,' and 'attempting to leave the country.' The news of Mr. Shandeh Zadeh's arrest was reported on June 5, after he informed his family of his arrest during a phone call. Jalal Afaghai, in statements published by the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, which are close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said that this social media activist was arrested on June 1 based on a letter from the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic and the judicial mandate of the Tehran prosecutor's office. This judicial official accused Mr. Shandeh Zadeh of 'multiple insults,' 'insulting sacred values,' and 'spying for high-ranking Mossad officers,' claiming that he is 'accused based on existing documents and evidence of being in contact with high-ranking Mossad officers through social media.' No evidence or documentation was provided in this regard. His arrest occurred after Ali Khamenei's account on X (formerly Twitter) published a photo of him with members of the student national volleyball team, accompanied by a sentence that lacked a period. In response, Hossein Shandeh Zadeh only placed a period under this image without using any words. The Ardabil prosecutor's office accused this translator and editor of 'intending to leave the country by passing through Ardabil, Bostanabad, and ultimately going to Urmia.' On June 6, Hossein Shandeh Zadeh's family issued a statement emphasizing that their son 'should initially have access to the basic rights of a prisoner,' stating that 'the attribution of serious charges to Hossein less than 24 hours after his arrest without access to communication with a lawyer and family raises questions and concerns.' The statement noted that 'the claim of Hossein fleeing is also unjustifiable; he had been discussing his intention to travel to Ardabil on X for a long time and had even spoken about Ardabil and shared photos of himself just hours before his arrest.' Mr. Shandeh Zadeh was also tried and sentenced to imprisonment in 2019 for his activities on social media and the charge of 'insulting sacred values and the leader of the Islamic Republic.'