The prison sentence of Soltan-Ali Abedi, a iranian journalist and editor of the news website Diyar-e Ayar, ended on Thursday, November 21, 2024. Mr. Abedi had been sentenced to 15 months in prison in two separate cases.
According to a report received by the DeFFI, the sentence of Soltan-Ali Abedi, who had previously been sentenced to one year in prison following a complaint from a representative of the Inspection Organization in Chabahar, and 91 days in prison due to a complaint from Fatemeh Rashki, a member of the Zahedan City Council, has come to an end. Mr. Abedi had previously been released from Zahedan prison upon accepting a “semi-open” request and was required to present himself to the prison officials every morning to serve the remaining prison term, while engaging in service tasks designated by this institution during working hours.
Soltan-Ali Abedi was transferred to Zahedan prison on Tuesday, December 4, 2023, following a summons to the third branch of the Zahedan Criminal Enforcement Court for the execution of his arrest warrant. In this case, he had been sentenced to one year in prison for “spreading falsehoods” at the request of a representative of the Inspection Organization in Chabahar; the reason for this conviction was a report published by Soltan-Ali Abedi regarding corruption in the Zahedan municipality.
During the third month of his imprisonment in Zahedan, on Thursday, February 15, 2024, Mr. Abedi was released after accepting a “semi-open” prison request. However, simultaneously with Soltan-Ali Abedi’s release from Zahedan prison, the Provincial Court of Appeals in Sistan and Baluchestan sentenced him to 91 days in prison in a case that had been opened against this journalist during his imprisonment. Previously, the 103rd branch of the Zahedan Criminal Court had sentenced Soltan-Ali Abedi to one year in prison in absentia.
This case was opened following a complaint from Fatemeh Rashki, a member of the Zahedan City Council, due to the publication of news regarding the influence of this council member and her husband, who is the deputy mayor of Zahedan, concerning the irregular employment of their daughter. Soltan-Ali Abedi had also previously been sentenced to fines in two separate cases.