Two Courts in Kashan Sentenced Journalist Ali Moslehi to Six Years and Two Months in Prison

Ali Moslehi, a journalist residing in Kashan, has been sentenced to a total of six years and two months in prison by the Revolutionary and Criminal Courts. Saeed Gholamian, the lawyer for this journalist, announced this news on Sunday, March 18, stating that his client was sentenced to 15 months and one day in the Revolutionary Court of Kashan for insulting the leadership and seven months and one day for propaganda against the regime. According to Mr. Gholamian, this ruling is subject to suspension for five years. The lawyer further added that his client was also sentenced in the Criminal Court 2 of Kashan to three years and one month for insulting sacred beliefs and one year and three months for spreading falsehoods. According to the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, Hrana, Ali Moslehi was arrested by government forces in Kashan on July 19 of this year and was transferred from the Information Office detention center to the city’s prison in August. This journalist, who has a history of previous arrests and judicial actions due to his activities, was released from Kashan prison on October 23 after posting a bail of one billion tomans. Anthony Bellanger, the Secretary-General of the International Federation of Journalists, recently criticized the 'unjust punishments' against journalists imposed by the authorities of the Islamic Republic. He urged the judiciary of the Islamic Republic to 'allow journalists to operate freely based on international documents that Iran must adhere to.' According to the 'Committee to Protect Journalists,' Iran was designated as the 'worst jail for journalists in the world' in 2022. The United States stated that the work of the fact-finding committee must continue; human rights violations in Iran are 'terrifying' and 'concerning.' The International Religious Freedom Commission called for U.S. support for referring the Islamic Republic's case to the International Criminal Court. Maryam Abbasi Niko, a citizen from Isfahan, was acquitted of the charge of 'insulting the Prophet.' Continued crackdowns on social media activists saw a 'blogger' arrested in Semnan, and further judicial actions against virtual space activists led to the arrest of a female Instagram activist in Isfahan.