The uncle of Mahsa Amini, the young Iranian-Kurdish woman whose death in custody sparked months of protests, has been sentenced to more than five years in jail for his criticism of the government in 2022, rights groups have said.
Safa Aeli, 30, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison by the revolutionary court in the family’s home town of Saqez in north-western Iran, the Norway-based Hengaw group and US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.
Mahsa Amini, 22, died in hospital in September 2022 after being arrested for allegedly flouting the strict dress rules for women in the Islamic republic. Amini’s family and activists say she was killed by a blow to the head while in custody, a claim denied by Iranian officials.
Quoting family lawyer Saleh Nikbakht, HRANA said that part of Aeli’s sentence was suspended and Aeli would have to serve three years and six months in prison. The charges against him include taking part in protests that violated internal security, dissemination of anti-government propaganda, and insulting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei….
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After the truth-shower 