5 Years of Prison for Yousuf Azizi Bani Torof

5 Years in Prison for the Ahwazi Writer and Journalist Yousuf Azizi

TEHRAN –

The 15 branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced the Ahwazi writer and journalist Yousuf Azizi to 5 years of prison under the charge of activity against national security.

Iranian authorities arrested Yousuf Azizi on the April 24, 2005 following the demonstration of the Arabs of Ahwaz on the 15th of April 2005 and he was kept under arrest for a period of 65 days and eventually was released on bail of one billion Rials. Despite the absence of Azizi in Ahwaz in that period, the Iranian judiciary charged him for having the responsibility of organizing the demonstration, which Yousuf Azizi rejected.

The Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran issues this sentence against Yousuf Azizi after passage of 3 years since the time of the demonstration in Ahwaz and this is while Mr. Azizi has denied all the accusations against him.

Yousuf Azizi’s attorney is to appeal against this decision to the Court of Appeal within 20 days.

Some days ago, Yousuf Azizi was elected as a member of the governing cadre of the Iranian Writers Union, and so, he is the first Arab writer who enters this cadre.