Last Update

Unknown

Organisation

Unknown

Gender

Male

Ethnic Group

Unknown

Religoius Group

Muslim

Province

Unknown

Occupation

Journalist

Sentence

Three years imprisonment

Status

Released

Institution investigating

Unknown

Charges

Dissemination of False Information
Propaganda against the regime

Mohammad Hossein Heydari Released

Mohammad-Hossein Heydari is the administrator of the Dawlat Bahar (Spring Government) website. He was arrested in 2018 and 2019. On his second arrest he was sentenced to three years imprisonment on the charges of “publishing falsehoods” and “propaganda against the state.”

Heydari’s website was supportive of Mohammad Ahmadinejad, Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013. On November 21 he was referred to the Cultural and Media Prosecutor’s Office for questioning and was arrested on the same day. A week later, he was released on bail of 100 million tomans.

After less than a year, Heydari was arrested for the second time in May 2018. He was once again charged with “publishing falsehoods” and “propaganda against the state.”

Heydari’s initial trial was held at Branch 1060 of the Criminal Court in August 2018. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment, payment of a four million toman fine, and two years prohibition of political activity on social media on the two aforementioned charges.

Heydari appealed the court’s verdict and his case was sent to Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Mohammad Moghiseh. The appeal was heard on December 8, 2018, while Heydari was in Evin Prison. The appeal court upheld the ruling but stated that the maximum enforceable sentence against Heydari would be two years imprisonment in accordance with Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Codes. Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Codes stipulates that in a case in which a defendant is found guilty of more than one charge, only the punishment from the most severe charge should be enforced, in this case, two years imprisonment on the charge of “publishing falsehoods.”

Heydari was freed from Evin Prison on February 26, 2019.

After the high-profile and politically charged arrest of Ruhollah Zam [the manager of the popular Telegram Channel, AmadNews who was arrested in a sting operation by agents Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps] on October 14, 2019, rumors also spread that Heydari had been arrested for a third time on October 20 (as part of a crackdown on political dissidents). However, Heydari denied via social media that he had been arrested and instead called it a nefarious rumor.

Reporters Without Borders condemned Heydari’s treatment during his detention.

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