Mehdi Sanefarshi, a civil rights activist from Tabriz who was detained by security forces in late August after entering Iran from Turkey, was charged with “membership in opposition groups abroad” and “propaganda against the state” And sentenced to a total of five and a half years in prison, a reliable source told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).

The trial of this civil activist was held on October 21, at the Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh and his lawyer was notified of the issuance of this sentence today.

After living in Turkey for two years, Sanefarshi was detained by security forces in Orumieyeh in late August when he returned to Iran to visit his family. He was transferred to the Orumiyeh Central Prison on September 13, after 26 days of interrogation in the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre.