On December 17, the Criminal Court of Firuzabad City sentenced Asghar Amirzadegan, an educator and trade union activist, to one year in prison. As an additional punishment, his Instagram page was removed and he was banned from using social media and messengers for two years.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Branch 101 of Firuzabad’s Criminal Court sentenced Amirzadegan in a trial in absentia. He was charged with “propaganda against the regime”.
On July 27, 2021, Amirzadegan was arrested and on August 15 was released on bail from Firuzabad Prison. According to an informed source, he was arrested when he went to a police station to take back his confiscated cell phone.
Earlier also in 2019, he was sentenced by the same court to one year and six months in prison on charges of “offensive statements against the regime’s authorities and propaganda against the regime.” On appeal, these verdicts for these two charges were suspended for 18 months and 2 years respectively.
Moreover, in 2018, he was accused of sending pictures and videos to anti-regime media abroad, a detained for two days before being released on bail of 30 million tomans (7140 USD). Later, the Public and Revolutionary Court exonerated him from this charge.
