February 3, 2011
Kaveh Ghassemi Kermanshahi, Iranian journalist and human rights activist, was sentenced to five years in prison by the Revolutionary Court in Kermanshah.
Kermanshahi was charged with “acting against national security” through membership in Kurdistan Human Rights Organization and “propaganda against the regime” by giving interviews to the media and publishing news and reports about families of political prisoners and victims, International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reports.
The International Campaign reports that the Kurdish activist was given the highest possible penalty meted out to such cases by the Islamic penal code.
In addition to confiscating Kermanshahi’s passport and some of his other personal documents, the court has seized his laptop, computer, cell phone, camera, printer and a number of other items that were confiscated at the time of the arrest.
Kermanshahi’s lawyer, Mostafa Ahmadian described his client’s sentence “unprecedented” and “far too heavy” saying: “None of my client’s activities, which were indeed done in good faith and with humanitarian intentions, constitute activity against national security or propaganda against the regime.” He added that he is certain to appeal the sentence.
Kaveh Kermanshahi was arrested last February in Kermanshah and after 110 days in prison, 80 of which were in solitary confinement, he was released on a $100,000 bail in May.
Kermanshahi is an executive member of Kurdistan Human Rights Organization. He is also a member of the One Million Signatures Campaign to End Discriminatory Laws as well as Iran’s largest student organization, Daftar Tahkim Vahdat.