Faezeh Hashemi, daughter of ex-Iran president, sentenced to 5 years in prison

Dubai: Faezeh Hashemi, daughter of former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been sentenced to five years in prison. Her lawyer did not give the details of the charges against her, but Tehran’s public prosecutor last year indicted her on charges of “propaganda against the system”. “Following the arrest of Ms. Faezeh Hashemi, she was sentenced to five years in prison but the sentence is not final,” defence lawyer Neda Shams wrote on her Twitter account. The lawyer further said the former lawmaker and women’s rights activist was charged with “collusion against national security, propaganda against the Islamic Republic and disturbing public order by participating in illegal gatherings." “We will appeal it within the time frame allowed by law,” Shams added. Hashemi was arrested in Iran’s capital Tehran on 27 September last year. According to local media reports, Hashemi was arrested for “inciting riots” during Iran protests triggered by the alleged death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in police custody. The street protests and demonstrations have posed one of the biggest challenges to Iran’s clerical rulers since the 1979 revolution. Earlier in 2012, Hashemi was sentenced to six months in prison and banned from political activities for “anti-state propaganda” during the 2009 presidential election. In October last year, judiciary spokesman Massoud Setayeshi said without elaborating she had been sentenced in March “to 15 months in prison and two years of additional punishment including the prohibition of activities on the internet”. Hashemi’s late father, president between 1989 and 1997 who died in 2017, was considered a moderate and advocated improved ties with the West. Iranian authorities say hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed and thousands arrested in connection with the protests in Iran, which they generally describe as “riots.” Till now, the Iranian authorities have executed four people and the judiciary has said 13 others have been sentenced to death over the unrest. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .