Journalist Sentenced to Six Years in Prison

Journalist and political activist Hamed Ayinevand has been sentenced to six years in prison by order of Judge Moghiseh at the 28th Branch the Islamic Revolutionary Court.

Ayinevand’s attorney Hossein Bayat announced the verdict, according to reports from the Islamic Republic News Agency. “My client is sentenced to one year in prison for propaganda against the regime and five years for conspiracy against national security.”

Hamed Ayinevand, who holds a Ph.D in international relations, was arrested on June 28, 2018 as he left the national library, and has been detained ever since. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, he spent 44 days in solitary confinement before he was moved to a ward with other inmates. The judge handed down the sentence at the end of December 2018.

Ayinevand’s friends and colleagues say he was arrested because some of the articles he had written criticized Islamic Republic officials in all three branches of government. A close friend of his also claims that his attorney was not allowed in the court for the sentencing.

“We will definitely appeal the verdict since we don’t see it [as] fair nor just,” Bayat said. “We hope [the judicial authorities] really investigate our case in the appeal court and recognize our defense.”