DUBAI: An Iranian couple and influencers were sentenced to 16 years in prison, 74 lashes and a cash fine on charges of ‘propaganda against the regime’, ‘obscene and vulgar’, posting on social media and acting against public morals, local daily Radio Farda reported.
The couple, who have been living in exile in Turkey with their children, have shared an Instagram post saying that the court issued a verdict against them in absentia.
The husband, Ahmed Moin-Shirazi, said in the Instagram post that the family left to Turkey in 2019 to avoid harassment.
Moin-Shirazi added that they have been summoned multiple times to the Intelligence Ministry, accused of espionage, warned about their social media activities, and detained for a day before being freed on bail.
The couple has almost 1.5 million combined followers on their separate Instagram accounts.
Moin-Shirazi, who is a former world kickboxing champion and entrepreneur, said his interrogators told him he must not post anything about his political opinions or post photos in which his wife appears without a head scarf.
Iranian authorities have been known for arresting social media influencers who post dance videos or appear without wearing the mandatory headscarf and long coat.
Iranian couple, influencers sentenced to 16 years in prison
https://arab.news/zsvvj
Iranian couple, influencers sentenced to 16 years in prison
- The couple have shared an Instagram post saying that the court issued a verdict against them in absentia
UN chief says those behind ‘unacceptable’ Homs attack must face justice
- France says the "terror" attack is designed to destabilize the country
UNITED NATIONS/PARIS: United Nations chief Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the deadly attack on Friday prayers at a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs, and said the perpetrators should be brought to justice.
“The Secretary-General reiterates that attacks against civilians and places of worship are unacceptable. He stresses that those responsible must be identified and brought to justice,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
The explosion killed at least eight worshippers at a mosque in a predominantly Alawite area of Homs, with an Islamist militant group claiming responsibility.
France also condemned the attack, calling it an “act of terrorism” designed to destabilize the country.
The attack “is part of a deliberate strategy aimed at destabilizing Syria and the transition government,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement.
It condemned what it said was an attempt to “compromise ongoing efforts to bring peace and stability.”
The attack, during Friday prayers, was the second blast in a place of worship since Islamist authorities took power a year ago, after a suicide bombing in a Damascus church killed 25 people in June.
In a statement on Telegram, the extremist group Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna said its fighters “detonated a number of explosive devices” in the Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque in the central Syrian city.
