Tag: Abolfazl Khoran

Abolfazl Khoran Sentenced to One Year in Prison and 74 Lashes

Posted on by . .
Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Abolfazl Khoran, Arak prison, Keramat Parsafar, Mehrshad Shahidi, ابوالفضل خوران

HRANA – Abolfazl Khoran, a teachers’ union activist currently held in Arak Prison, has been sentenced by Branch 105 of the Criminal Court Two of Arak County to one year in prison and 74 lashes in connection with a new case opened against him during his incarceration.

According to HRANA, the verdict was issued on the charge of “disturbing the order and public peace of the prison.” Presiding Judge Keramat Parsafar cited slogans written inside the prison in protest against death penalty verdicts as the basis for the conviction.

The ruling may be appealed within 20 days of its notification.

Khoran was first arrested in August 2023, along with several other citizens, after attending a ceremony at the grave of Mehrshad Shahidi, one of the victims of the 2022 nationwide protests in Arak. All were later released on bail of 7 billion rials each.

In September 2023, the same court sentenced him to six years in prison and 74 lashes to be carried out in public, on charges of “insulting sacred beliefs” and “disturbing the order and public peace.” He began serving this sentence on January 21, 2025, when he was transferred to Arak Prison, where he remains in custody.

Eight Individuals Sentenced to Prison and Public Flogging for Blasphemy and Public Order Disruption

Posted on by . .
Freedom of Expression, News
Abolfazl Khoran, Arak, Majid Nik-Ahd, Maryam Bostani, Mehdi Nik-Ahd, Mehrshad Shahidi, Mohammad Soltani, Mohammad-Reza Asadi, Mostafa Kamani, Public Flogging, Ramtin Edrisi, Vahid-Reza Arabi

The Criminal Court of Arak in Markazi Province has issued a collective sentence of 48 years in prison and 925 public lashes for eight individuals: Mohammad Soltani, Majid Nik-Ahd, Mehdi Nik-Ahd, Abolfazl Khoran, Vahid-Reza Arabi, Ramtin Edrisi, Mostafa Kamani, and Mohammad-Reza Asadi.

As per these judgments, each person has been condemned to five years of imprisonment on charges of blasphemy, in addition to one year and 74 lashes for “disrupting public order.” The flogging sentences will be carried out publicly in a mosque in Arak following Friday prayers.

The prison sentences for Majid Nik-Ahd, Mehdi Nik-Ahd, and Vahid-Reza Arabi have been suspended for five years.

Maryam Bostani, another defendant in the case, has been acquitted of all charges.

Previously, as part of their legal proceedings, these individuals had each received eight-month sentences from the Arak Revolutionary Court for “spreading propaganda against the regime.”

In August of this year, these individuals were arrested following attending a memorial ceremony for Mehrshad Shahidi, who was tragically killed by government forces during the nationwide protests of 2022 in Arak.