Saeid Khaledi
Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Kermanshah has sentenced Kurdish civilians Jalal Namdari and Saeid Khaledi to eight and five years in jail, respectively.
Sources told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that Jalal Namdari was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of “acting against national security” through cooperation with the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran, and to three years in prison on charges of “conspiracy to commit a crime” for participating and encouraging people to attend the November 2019 protests.
The November 2019 protests, were nationwide demonstrations in Iran initially caused by increase in fuel prices that eventually led to calls for the overthrow of the government and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The source added that Saeid Khaledi, another defendant in the case and a resident of Paveh, was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of “acting against national security” by collaborating with a group acting against the state, and to one year in prison for “propaganda against the state”.
Namdari’s lawyer Mostafa Ahmadian confirmed the news to the KHRN and said: “After the initial verdict, I took charge of the case, and although I have not yet been able to meet and talk with my client, I intend to appeal against the ruling.”
According to this lawyer, both defendants have admitted the charges against them during interrogations and trials and have confessed to cooperating with people abroad in exchange for money.
Security forces of the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) arrested Jalal Namdari in Kermanshah on 30 December 2020, and Saeid Khaledi a few days later in Paveh. The two Kurdish civilians were held in the detention centre of this security institution in Kermanshah under harsh conditions and pressure of interrogators.
Jalal Namdari is currently being held in Kermanshah Central Prison and Saeed Khaledi has been released on bail, pending court ruling.
