An appellate court has confirmed a 10-year jail sentence for Nationalist-Religious activist Rouin Otoofat. The Jaras opposition website reports that the judgement has been served on Otofat, imposing a two-year ban on political activity in addition to the 10-year sentence.
Rouin Otoofat was arrested in February of 2013 at a meeting at his home that included 30 members of the Iranian intelligentsia, including Mohammad Maleki, who was the first head of Tehran University after the 1979 revolution. Similar discussion sessions had been held at Otofat’s home for over eight years.
Otoofat was released on bail in August of 2013, was later charged with establishing an illegal organization and ended up with a 10-year sentence in preliminary court.
The charge was described as “Establishment of the illegal and anti-security group known as the Ranginkaman Council in coordination with the illegal National-Religious group as well as propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic by issuing and signing announcements threatening security.”
The Nationalist-Religious activists are one of the groups especially targeted for a crackdown by Islamic republic authorities since the 2009 election protests.
