Iran sentenced 8 Facebook activists to total of 127 years in prison

An Iranian Revolutionary Court sentenced 8 Facebook activists to a total of 127 years in prison. The same court had issued serious sentences for another group of individuals that had been active on social media and especially on Fecebook.

IRNA, Iran’s official news agency reported on July 13, 2014 that the 8 social media activists were found guilty of spreading propaganda against the Islamic regime, undermining Iran’s national security and insulting the heads of the Islamic Republic and individuals.

IRNA reported that the activists were arrested in Tehran, Shiraz, Kerman, Yazd and Abadan and were appeared in court in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran.

The content of the Facebook pages in which these individuals have been arrested for is not clear. The individuals that their identities have not been revealed were sentenced to 11 to 21 years in prison. Two accused were also sentenced to pay cash penalties and 50 lashes.

Iranian police has established a unit that is responsible to confront cyber-crimes in the country; however these individuals were under surveillance of Sarallah, an intelligence unit of Sepah (Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps) since last July. Based on the report, they were later arrested and detained by the prosecutor.

Sources: IRNA, BBC Persian, International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran