Siavash (Mostafa) Norouzi Jafarloom was sentenced to imprisonment and whipping for attending a rally on January 13, 2020 to commemorate the victims of the Ukrainian Airlines Boeing 737 plane crash.

On January 8, 2020, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Air Defense Forces shot down a Tehran-Kiev flight with two surface-to-air missiles. As a result of this incident, 176 passengers and crew were killed. After the IRGC admitted their responsibility for firing the missiles and downing the aircraft, a wave of mass protests broke out in cities across Iran and numerous protesters were arrested. 

Jafarlo attended a memorial service for the plane crash victims, which was held on January 13 at the University of Shiraz. 

On January 15, Siavash Norouzi Jafarlo was arrested by intelligence and security officers after an arrest warrant was issued for him by Branch 10 of the Revolutionary Courts of Shiraz on charges of “gathering and colluding with the intention of undermining national security,” “insulting the Supreme Leader” and “disrupting the public order.” After 17 days in prison, he was released on a bail of 350 million tomans until the end of the court proceedings against him.

Jafarlo’s case was referred to Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Courts of Shiraz, presided over by Judge Sadati, on May 19, 2020, on the two charges of “gathering and colluding with the intention of undermining national security” and “insulting the Supreme Leader.” The trial took place on May 21 and Jafarlo was informed of the court’s verdict on the same day.

Siavash Norouzi Jafarlo was only able to view the court’s verdict once, as he had not been registered in the judiciary’s electronic notification system, which allows defendants to see court documents for a case. According to the verdict, he had been sentenced to five years in prison on the charge of “gathering and colluding,” according to Article 610 of the Penal Code, two years imprisonment on the charge of “insulting the Supreme Leader” according to Article 514 of the Penal Code.

Due to Jafarlo’s lack of a criminal record and in accordance with Article 46 of the Islamic Penal Code, the implementation of his sentence was suspended for five years, during which time Jafarlo is required to report to the local administrative office of the Ministry of Intelligence on a weekly basis. 

According to a report by the United Students Telegram channel, Siavash Norouzi Jafarlo was also referred to Branch 101 of the Criminal Courts of Shiraz on the charge of “disturbing the public order and peace,” and according to a court summons, his trial was scheduled to be heard on June 14, 2020.

Jafarlo’s court summons also stated that he should “not attend the court hearing in order to prevent the further spread of Covid-19” and that his defense would only be considered by the judge if he transferred his defence statements and evidence through the judicial notification system. However, one day later, on June 15, 2020, the court issued its ruling in his case and Jafarlo’s lawyer was subsequently informed of the court’s ruling on June 18, 2020. 

According to the verdict, Siavash Norouzi Jafarlo was sentenced to one year in prison and 74 lashes of the whip on the charge of “disturbing public order and peace.”

Jafarlo has been sentenced to a total of eight years imprisonment and 74 lashes on the three criminal charges; of the total sentence against him, the whipping punishment and one year imprisonment is enforceable, with the other seven years in prison suspended for five years.

The sentence has not yet been carried out.