The Special Clerical Court in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan Province, has sentenced Sunni Kurdish cleric Ebrahim Salimi to three years in prison on charges of “acting against national security” and “disturbing public opinion”.

Salimi, the Imam of the Chahar Yar-e Nabi mosque in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province, was summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence in Piranshahr on 31 January and arrested for signing a statement in support of last year’s anti-government uprising of Women Life Freedom.

Following his arrest, Salimi was transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention centre in Orumiyeh and, after a period of interrogation, was sent to the city’s prison.

During his detention, the cleric was denied access to legal representation and family visits.

On 20 February, he was provisionally released from Orumiyeh Central Prison after posting bail of 5 billion rials – nearly 10,000 USD.