Opening a New File for Adnan Rahmat-Panah

Source: hra-news.org

Translation by Iran Watch

HRANA News Agency: Adnan Rahmat-Panah, a Baha’i prisoner in Shiraz who in the last month of his confinement was faced with a new case against him, has been sentenced to another year and a half of imprisonment in his primary court hearing. He was released under approx US$36,000 bail until his case is reviewed by the appeals court.

According to HRANA reporters, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, on March 11^th Adnan Rahmat-Panah was released from Shiraz’s Adel Abad prison evan as a new case had already been opened against him at the Atlasi Branch  of the Public Court of Shiraz, as a result of which he was sentenced to one and half year of imprisonment.

Six months of this sentence is in connection to a charge of insulting the President and one year is in connection to a charge of production and distribution of software to avoid the Iranian government’s Internet filters.

A source familiar with this case told the HRANA reporter: “A month before his release, Adnan Rahmat-Panah was transferred to the Public Court, and it was announced that the Revolutionary Court had recused itself with respect to the charges of insulting the president and production and distribution of software to avoid the Iranian government’s Internet filters. Consequently, these charges were reviewed in Branch 111 of the Atlasi Court presided over by Judge Farhadi-Pour. This court gave Adnan sentence of one year and a half of imprisonment, which was contested by him and his attorney. The court has temporarily agreed to Adnan’s release after payment of approx US$36,000 bail.”

This source mentioned: “The insulting the President charge was due to posts made on Facebook by Adnan’s friends, in which he was tagged. The other charge was made because he had given software to avoid government Internet filters to his friends and family.

This episode occurred after he had been tried and completed serving one year in prison under charges of propaganda against the regime and membership in the Baha’i religion.