DUBAI: The niece of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Farideh Moradkhani, an outspoken critic of the Islamic Republic, was arrested in November when she declared her support for the ongoing anti-regime protests taking place across Iran.
She even called on the international community to cut ties with Tehran, wrote Moradkhani’s lawyer, Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, on Twitter.
Aghasi also said that his client was initially sentence to 15 years in prison, but after an appeal, Moradkhani’s sentence was reduced.
He also noted that the outspoken critic was tried by Iran’s Special Clerical Court, a body independent of the country’s judiciary tasked with prosecuting clerics and answers only to the supreme leader.
Moradkhani’s lawyer explained that the court has no jurisdiction over his client’s case given she is not a cleric.
He also did not say what his client was charged with, and authorities have not commented on the case to date.
Moradkhani has been arrested twice, earlier this year and in 2018, for being critical of the regime.
Earlier this week, Badri Hosseini Khamenei, Moradkhani’s mother and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s sister, also declared her opposition to her brother’s regime, and called on military forces to join protesters before ‘it’s too late’.
She reportedly expressed her views in letter shared by her son, who is based in France.
“Ali Khamenei’s Revolutionary Guards and mercenaries should lay down their weapons as soon as possible and join the people before it is too late,” the letter read.
“As my human duty, many times I brought the voice of the people to the ears of my brother Ali Khamenei decades ago. However, after I saw that he did not listen and continued the way of [ex-Supreme Leader Ruhollah] Khomeini in suppressing and killing innocent people, I cut off my relationship with him,” she continued.
Protests erupted across Iran since September 16 after 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini died after she was arrested by morality police in Tehran.
At least 458 people, including 63 children and 29 women, have been killed by security forces in the protests, according to the Oslo-based rights group Iran Human Rights.
Iran supreme leader’s niece sentenced to 3 years for supporting ongoing protests
https://arab.news/6r6y9
Iran supreme leader’s niece sentenced to 3 years for supporting ongoing protests
- Moradkhani has been arrested twice, earlier this year and in 2018
- Badri Hosseini Khamenei, Moradkhani’s mother and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s sister, also declared her opposition to her brother’s regime
Qatar, Jordan and Egypt condemn Israeli ceasefire violations in Gaza
- Israel pounded Gaza on Saturday with some of its most intense airstrikes since the October ceasefire was brokered
LONDON: Qatar, Jordan and Egypt on Saturday strongly condemned Israel’s repeated violations of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, warning that the attacks risk dangerous escalation and undermine regional and international efforts to restore stability.
Israel pounded Gaza on Saturday with some of its most intense airstrikes since the October ceasefire was brokered, killing more than 30 people including three girls from one family, in attacks on houses, tents and a police station, Palestinian health officials said.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the breaches, which have resulted in fatalities and injuries, threaten the political pathway aimed at de-escalation and jeopardize efforts to create a safer environment for Palestinians in Gaza, the Qatar News Agency reported.
Doha urged Israel to fully comply with the ceasefire agreement, calling for maximum restraint from all parties to ensure the success of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
The ministry also stressed the importance of creating conditions conducive to early recovery and reconstruction in the enclave.
Jordan echoed the condemnation, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates describing the latest incidents as a blatant breach of the ceasefire and a dangerous escalation.
Ministry spokesperson Fouad Majali called for strict adherence to the agreement and its provisions, including the immediate, adequate and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as moving forward with the second phase of the deal, the Jordan News Agency reported.
Majali urged the international community to fulfil its legal and moral responsibilities to ensure Israel’s compliance, while warning against actions that could derail de-escalation efforts. He also reiterated Jordan’s call for a clear political horizon leading to an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative.
Egypt, meanwhile, condemned what it described as recurrent Israeli breaches that have led to the deaths of at least 25 Palestinians.
Cairo warned that such actions risk turning the situation into a tinderbox and threaten ongoing efforts to stabilize Gaza at both the security and humanitarian levels.
In a statement, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry appealed to all parties to exercise maximum restraint, safeguard the ceasefire, and avoid measures that could undermine the political process. It stressed the need to maintain momentum toward early recovery and reconstruction, emphasizing that continued violations directly threaten prospects for lasting stability in the enclave.
