An Appeals Court In Iran has upheld a 3-year prison sentence and 40 lashes for an internet activist in South Khorasan province.
Hamidreza Adelifar, has been sentenced to nine months of prison for “spreading propaganda against the state”, 18 months of prison and a 3 million tomans ($119) fine for “publishing lies on cyberspace” and another nine months of prison, lashes and a 3.375 million tomans ($134) fine for keeping 7.5L of alcoholic drinks.
The 47-year-old activist would have to serve 18 months behind bars according to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, which allows defendants to serve only the longest sentence in cases involving multiple convictions.
Also, a 18-month prison sentence against Adelifar for a previous case, which was suspended for 5 years in 2017, will now be enforceable.
His sentence will be implemented on Saturday March 27.
Hamidreza Adelifar was detained in his home on April 29, 2020 by Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) intelligence agents. He was released on bail one day later. He was also arrested in 2016 and sentenced to 18 months of prison in July 2017 for “spreading lies, disturbing public minds, and insulting the Islamic Republic’s Founder”.
The Iranian regime is one of the few states that still uses degrading punishments, even though all international civil and political rights conventions have prohibited the use of inhumane punishments such as execution and flogging.
The regime regularly hands out flogging sentences to protesters, dissidents, and to those charged with adultery and theft, among other things. Flogging is a cruel and degrading punishment and is tantamount to torture.
