Journalist Abdolreza Tajik sentenced to six years in prison

RAHANA – Abdolreza Tajik, an Iranian journalist and human rights activist, has been sentenced to six years in prison for “membership in illegal groups” and “propaganda against the regime.” The Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR) reports that Tajik was officially sentenced yesterday.

Tajik’s defense lawyer, Dr. Mohammad Sharif, says his client was sentenced to five years for “membership in the Human Rights Defenders Center”, even though Tajik cannot really be considered a member. Furthermore, Sharif stated that the Human Rights Defenders Center has not been officially labeled as an illegal organization. He was also sentenced to one year in prison for “propaganda against the regime”. His was sentence was ruled by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge PirAbbasi.

In addition to these charges, Abdolreza Tajik is also accused of “publishing falsehoods in order to ignite public opinion.” The court has not yet issued a sentence related to that charge.

Tajik was arrested in the protests that arose to challenge the disputed presidential election win of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009. He was jailed for 44 days and then arrested twice more. His latest release came after seven months in Ward 209 of Evin prison and was released on approximately $500,000 bail. In the post-election protests, thousands of people were arrested in order to quell the unrest, with many journalists and activists often targeted. Tajik’s sister was also arrested and released on bail for speaking out about her brother’s detainment and treatment in prison.