Iranian blogger sentenced to 12 years for tweet

On August 31, Iran's Judiciary sentenced blogger Hossein Shanbehzadeh to a total of 12 years in prison.

Shanbehzadeh, who was arrested in June after posting a single dot in response to a tweet by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, received this harsh sentence following his reply gaining widespread attention and more likes than Khamenei's original tweet, Caliber.Az reports, citing Iranian media. 

Despite the seemingly trivial nature of his post, Shanbehzadeh's detention was extended in July. His lawyer revealed that the charges against him include five years for "pro-Israel propaganda," four years for "insulting Islamic sanctities," two years for "spreading falsehoods" on social media, and one year for "anti-regime propaganda."

Although the total sentence is 12 years, he will serve the longest single term of five years. His lawyer, Amir Raisian, noted that the Judiciary has not provided any concrete evidence for the "pro-Israel propaganda" charge, which has been based on his "private chats." 

For the other charges, Raisian stated that the court used evidence including Shanbehzadeh's support for political prisoners, criticism of the country's situation, use of the hashtag "No to Execution," advocacy for the removal of the mandatory hijab, criticism of Iran's elections, and expressions of satisfaction over the death of former President Ebrahim Raisi. Raisian mentioned that he would consider appealing the sentence after consulting with Shanbehzadeh in prison. 

Following his arrest in May, Shanbehzadeh's X account was deactivated, likely to prevent its exploitation by security agencies. However, his name trended on Persian-language X as users recognized his influence and fearless commentary. Previously, Shanbehzadeh had been imprisoned related to the 2019 protests on charges of "insulting the sanctities and the leader of the Islamic Republic." His recent arrest led to accusations by IRGC-linked media that he was a "fugitive Mossad agent" with connections to Israeli intelligence and a history of insulting religious figures.

The Ardabil prosecutor's office also alleged he had attempted to flee the country through northwestern borders, claiming contact with high-ranking Mossad officers. Shanbehzadeh's family dismissed these allegations as "unjustifiable," noting that he had always used his real identity on social media and that the charges were filed within 24 hours of his arrest, without access to legal representation.