Court Of Appeal Reduced The Sentences Of 2 Civil Activists

HRANA News Agency – The appeal court of East Azerbaijan province sentenced each of Taha Kermani and Hussein Ali Mohammadi to two years imprisonment with counting the days of previous detention by acquittal of charges of “blasphemy”.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), the seventh branch of the appeal court of East Azerbaijan province has exported final vote in the verdict dated January 12th regarding the appeals of Ali Mohammadi and Kermani’s ten-year imprisonment Sentence.

According to the Court, both of them were acquitted of charge of “insulting religious sanctities” and for charge of “setting fire on public funds” they were sentenced to two years imprisonment of 5 degree with counting the days of previous detention.

Previously, following the request to appeal of these activists, the hearing was held in the seventh branch of appeal court of East Azerbaijan province headed by judge Aatalo and advisors Allahyari and Razzaghi on Sunday, January 10.

Hossein Alimohammadi Alvar along with Seyed Taha Kermani had been arrested by the security forces in Tabriz on November 4, 2013 and after almost 6 month detention was released on the bail from Tabriz Central Prison.

Judge Hamid Bagherpour, president of the third branch of Tabriz Revolutionary Court had sentenced these two civil activists on charges of “insulting religious sanctities” and “distorting public properties and intending to opposition to the Islamic government” to ten years imprisonment.

The civil rights activists earlier were sentenced to 3 years imprisonment on charges of propaganda against the regime and insulting the leadership, due to materials published in the journal “Susma” and “Susuz göl” Blog in relation to the environmental issues surrounding crisis of the Lake Urmia, in the third branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tabriz which was just confirmed in the court of appeal.

Hussein Alimohamadi is kept among the dangerous criminals ward 12 of Tabriz Central Prison.

The activist with frequent correspondents has requested prison authorities to be transferred to political prisoners’ ward.

Hussein Ali Mohamadi Alvar is suffering from eye problems and because of having problems in the cornea he should use spectacle “UV” glasses and eye drops. He had requested the medicine from outside the prison but the authorities prevented him from entering the eye medication.

In July 2015, Amnesty International issued a statement expressing concern that the sentence of 10 years in prison for Hussein Alimohamadi Alvar and Seyed Taha Kermani was “unjustified” and “with political purposes” and “on the basis of confessions extracted under torture”. The statement said: “The both activist have been for 42 days in solitary confinement under interrogation without access to a lawyer.”

Amnesty International also asked for their immediate release.