The Special Clerical Court in Hamadan in western Iran has sentenced Kurdish Sunni cleric Arman Sadeghi to seven and a half months in prison, 74 lashes and the revocation of his clerical status for his support of the recent anti-government protests.
The court charged Sadeghi with “disturbing public opinion” and “propaganda against the state”, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned.
The Sunni Kurdish cleric was summoned to the special clerical court in Hamadan on 30 April and informed of the verdict.
Sadeghi is the imam of the mosque in Hosseini village in Dehgolan, Kurdistan province, and teaches at the Mohammad Rasoulollah religious school in the town.
In recent months, the cleric has been summoned to the Special Clerical Court in Hamadan and questioned about his speeches in support of the recent anti-government protests.
According to statistics compiled by the KHRN, between 21 March 2022 and 21 March 2023, at least 29 Sunni and Yarsani clerics and activists were arrested in the provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan and Kermanshah, at least 17 were summoned for questioning and four were sentenced to prison.
