A appeals court in Tehran has upheld flogging and prison sentences against labor activist Esmail Gerami.
Esmail Gerami was sentenced to 74 lashes, five years of prison, and a fine of 2 million tomans (about $72) by the Tehran Appeals Court on Saturday, September 19.
The 67-year-old labor activist was previously sentenced to 74 lashes, five years of prison, and a fine of 2 million tomans on June 9.
He was arrested on March 7 among other activists outside the Ministry of Labor in Tehran during peaceful nationwide pensioners’ protests and was released the next day.
Mr. Gerami who was one of the leaders in the nationwide pensioners protests was once again arrested on April 3 by security forces at his home and was transferred to solitary confinement in the Greater Tehran Penitentiary also known as Fashafuyeh four days later.
He has been in prison up to now.
Rouhzad, Gerami’s wife, said she had pursued his case with the Evin court, but she was not allowed to meet with the legal team. On May 16 she received a call from her husband that he can be released on bail, but the court stalled and told her it will take another two weeks for the case to be processed.
Rouhzad expressed concern over her husband’s health, saying that he was 67 years old, and was only trying to get his unpaid wages and that of his colleagues.
The Iranian regime has a history of sentencing peaceful activists to lashes and hefty prison terms.
