An incarcerated Iranian cleric known for his criticism of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said he has been under pressure to confess to crimes he did not commit.
The cleric, Mohammad Taqi Akbarnejad, a Qom seminary lecturer, has been lodged in Qom prison for 20 days.
"For 14 days following my arrest, I was held in solitary confinement at a security detention center," he said in a voice message.
"They pressured me to make false confessions for release without trial. They wanted me to appear on camera and express regret for my words and actions," he added.
The cleric said that after he had refused the officials' demands, the security forces began fabricating cases against him.
He said that people in his community were being pressured to file complaints against him for purportedly misleading them as a religious leader.
"Due to accusations of anti-government propaganda and insulting the clergy, I have been denied all seminary benefits, including tuition fees and health insurance,” Akbarnejad said.
Akbarnejad was arrested on February 17 by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence officers for publishing videos critical of the government and Khamenei.
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