Tehran, Iran: Activist Salar Taher Afshar sentenced to imprisonment

Hengaw; Sunday, October 20, 2024

Salar Taher Afshar, a Turkish civil activist from Urmia, has been sentenced to five years of imprisonment by the judiciary of Islamic Republic of Iran. This sentence follows previous arrests and convictions.

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, on October 20, 2024, Salar Taher Afshar was sentenced to five years of imprisonment by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati. The charges against him were “assembly and collusion with the intent to commit a crime against internal and external security.” This verdict has been officially communicated to him.

In a post on his personal social media page, Taher Afshar confirmed that he had received and reviewed the five-year sentence personally.

The trial for these charges was held on May 21, 2024, at Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.

Salar Taher Afshar was previously arrested on June 5, 2024, after being summoned to Branch 11 of the Prosecutor’s Office in Tabriz, where he was transferred to the central prison to serve a six-month sentence. His first arrest occurred on December 19, 2023, by the FATA police in Urmia, and was transferred to a detention in center in Tabriz. Though he was released on bail in January 2024, he was rearrested on February 5, 2024, by security forces.

Eventually, Taher Afshar was sentenced to six months imprisonment by Branch 2 of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court for “assisting in propaganda activities against the state.”’