Yousef Farhadi-Babadi, Civil Activist, Sentenced to One Year in Prison and Fined

Saeedeh Hosseinzadeh, Yousef Farhadi-Babadi's lawyer, announced on Tuesday, July 9, that her client and Saleh Nagharakaar have been sentenced to one year of imprisonment and a fine of 15 million rials. Ms. Hosseinzadeh wrote on the social media platform 'X' that this member of the 'People's Campaign to Support the Kind Zagros' was sentenced by Branch 29 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to one year in prison for propaganda activities and one year in prison and 15 million rials for spreading falsehoods. She emphasized that 'we will appeal this ruling within the legally specified time.' The news agency HRANA noted that Yousef Farhadi-Babadi was summoned to Branch 1 of the Evin Prosecutor's Office in late April this year and the indictment against him for 'propaganda against the regime' and 'spreading falsehoods through cyberspace' was issued in May. According to this report, this civil activist was arrested on February 17, 2019. Mr. Farhadi-Babadi also wrote on social media that 'it is interesting that I requested to read the contents of the case for my defense. Not only was I not allowed to see the contents of the case and make a copy, but even the text of the ruling was not given to my lawyer, and I was only allowed to take notes from the ruling. Where are we going...' He stated that his actions were not illegal enough to require him to give a 'commitment,' writing: 'The issue mentioned in the honorable judge's ruling is pure falsehood.' This civil activist added: 'Unfortunately, I have no voice within the government or in society; I will continue my legal activities within the framework of the Constitution, even in prison.' He also pointed out that 'the legal deputy of the Ministry of Intelligence has filed a complaint due to criticism of the illegal actions of the Ministry of Intelligence in construction projects. I neither spread falsehoods nor acted against the regime; I reflected the naked truth.' Yousef Farhadi-Babadi added: 'Can the Ministry of Intelligence deny the role of the General Directorate of Intelligence of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province in the construction of the Baba Heydar dam on a garbage reservoir?' According to environmental activists, independent experts have not confirmed the safety of the water from this dam and several others like Golab, Sabzkouh, and Khorsan for drinking purposes. The Baba Heydar reservoir dam, located in the west of Baba Heydar in the Farsan County of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, was completed and filled last year. This member of the 'People's Campaign to Support the Kind Zagros' also wrote: 'I wish the Ministry of Intelligence would stand alongside environmental activists instead of hiding its role in unauthorized projects like Sabzkouh, Koharng 3, Golab, Beheshtabad, Baba Heydar, etc., and support them in this unequal struggle.' He had previously reported on July 3 that 'in response to the intelligence's case fabrication, I went to Branch 29 of the court and emphasized the illegal role of elements from the Ministry of Intelligence in facilitating unauthorized projects. Documentation of the illegal intervention of intelligence was presented to the court.' According to Yousef Farhadi-Babadi, the Ministry of Intelligence is accused of 'intervening in the implementation of some unauthorized projects.' Previously, the security and judicial apparatus of the Islamic Republic has dealt with civil activists, including environmentalists. In this regard, Jalil Mokhtar, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly from Abadan, wrote in a letter to Ahmad Vahidi, the Minister of Interior and head of the National Security Council, on April 6 of this year, that 'the implementation of water transfer projects is based on illegal resolutions of the National Security Council in previous governments.' He added: 'The resolutions of the National Security Council are based on agreements of the security councils of the two provinces of Isfahan and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari without considering the environmental and climatic conditions of Khuzestan.' He called for 'any decision-making regarding the headwaters of Khuzestan rivers in other provinces to be made with the participation of Khuzestan officials and the knowledge of Khuzestan representatives, and for the illegal practices of previous years to be corrected.' There has been no news of Ahmad Vahidi's response to this letter.