Whipping Sentences for Protesters of the 'Fitileh' Program

A few days after the whipping sentences for the dismissed workers of the Agh Dareh mine in West Azerbaijan province and the sentencing of 35 girls and boys who were arrested at a mixed party in Qazvin, reports indicate that Branch 112 of the Criminal Court of the Judiciary in Tabriz has sentenced 26 protesters against the 'Fitileh' program to imprisonment, fines, and whipping. According to a ruling issued by Mohammad Ali Peiri, the head of Branch 112 of the Criminal Court in Tabriz, the charges against these individuals are 'participation in disturbing public order and peace through creating uproar and commotion.' These individuals were arrested during a football match between the Tractor and Siah Jamgan teams on November 20 of last year following protests against the 'Fitileh' program and were later released on bail. The broadcast of the satirical 'Fitileh' program on state television, which has faced widespread criticism and protests, has incited anger and protests among the people of this province and other Azerbaijani citizens. Protesters consider this program to contain insulting content towards Azerbaijani citizens. The director of the 'Do' network of the state television of Iran reprimanded two individuals and dismissed one supervisory official following the airing of an episode of the 'Fitileh' program due to what was termed 'insulting the Azerbaijanis of Iran.' Earlier, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) announced in a statement that the broadcast of the 'Fitileh' program had been halted. The charges against the Agh Dareh mine workers included 'preventing and hindering people from conducting business by creating uproar and commotion, insulting the company's guard, destroying clothing, illegally detaining the guard, and deliberately damaging the sign of the Pouya Zarkan company' in January 2015. In this context, Naghi Mahmoudi, a former lawyer for civil activists in Azerbaijan who currently lives in Germany, told Radio Farda, 'This is not the first time that the uproar of these insults is resolved with the punishment of the protesters and state insult and repression.' He added, '26 protesters have been sentenced to fines, whipping, and imprisonment in just one case, while the offenders of the 'Fitileh' program have continued their activities for months.' He continued, 'As a lawyer for Azerbaijani protesters, after long threats and the revocation of my license, a conviction for not practicing law, and attempts at arrest, I was forced into unwelcome exile. In the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran, sometimes the complainant is placed in the position of the accused.' Meanwhile, reports indicate that Rasoul Razavi, a civil activist from Tabriz, has been on hunger strike since May 30. He was arrested last year in January to serve a one-year prison sentence. He had previously been arrested in April 2010 for participating in a protest against the drying of Lake Urmia along with dozens of others.