Political Prisoners Mohammad Hossein Sepehri and Kamal Jafari Yazdi Beaten in Valkilabad Prison

On June 20 and June 21, political prisoners Mohammad Hossein Sepehri and Kamal Jafari Yazdi were beaten in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Sepehri and Yazdi were beaten and insulted by the new head of Ward 1.6 in Valkilabad prison.

Teachers’ union activist Javad Lal Mohammadi told HRANA that Ali Timaji, the new head of the ward, broke Sepehri’s teeth in the beating.

53-year-old Mr. Jafari Yazdi is a university professor with a notable military record. He fought and was taken prisoner in the Iran-Iraq war, and holds a doctorate in strategic management.

In April 2019, Branch 4 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad sentenced him to a total of 13 imprisonments including 10 years in prison on a charge of “forming a group with the intention of overthrowing the regime”, 1 year in prison on a charge of “Propaganda against the regime”,  and 2 years in prison on a charge of “Insulting the leadership”.  The sentence was upheld by the Court of Appeals.

Branch 4 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad sentenced Mr. Sepehri to 6 years in prison. The sentence was confirmed by the Court of Appeals of Khorasan Razavi Province in April of last year.

In 2019, Mohammad Hossein Sepehri and 13 other civil activists published a letter calling for the resignation of Ayatollah Khamenei. Following the publication of the letter, some of its signatories were arrested and others were pressured by authorities. Nine charges have been filed against the activists, including “Insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic”, “Insulting the sacred”, “Insulting the leadership”, “Disturbing the public mind”, “Cooperating with foreign media”, and “Participating in illegal gatherings”.