Prison Sentence of Social Media Activist Alinia Upheld

The court of appeals of Tehran province has upheld the six-year prison sentence against prominent social media and civic activist Ramin Alinia, IranWire reports, as the Islamic Republic is stepping up its clampdown on dissent and the media.

Branch 36 of the court of appeals confirmed the initial verdict and sentence on July 2. The court document emphasized the irrevocable nature of the sentence, stating that the activist is not eligible for any amnesty. 

Alinia was arrested on November 7 last year and was released on bail from Tehran’s Evin prison three weeks later, amid nationwide protests sparked by the September death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

In May this year, Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court handed Alinia a five-year prison sentence for "gathering and colluding to act against national security" and an additional one-year sentence for "propaganda against the system." 

The court also imposed a two-year travel ban on Alinia, banned him from joining any political parties or groups, and restricted his online activities for two years. 

According to the Islamic Penal Code, Alinia will have to serve the highest prison sentence, which is five years.

The charges against Alinia related to the activist’s critical posts on an Instagram page and his role as the page's administrator. 

Following Amini’s death, Iranians took to the streets across the country for months to call for fundamental economic, social and political changes in the country. 

The authorities unleashed a brutal crackdown on the women-led protest movement, killing more than 520 people and unlawfully detaining over 19,000, including dozens of journalists, activists say. Following biased trials, the judiciary has handed down stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to protesters.