Daughter Of Former Iranian President Jailed
The daughter of former Iranian president was jailed for six months in prison for “propaganda against the regime.” She was arrested for participating in a protest against the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009.
The jailing of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s daughter was announced Sunday morning in a statement published by the prosecutor’s office in Tehran: “Faezeh Hashemi was arrested Saturday to serve her sentence,” it stated. The Fars news agency reported she was detained in Evin Prison in Tehran.
Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani was among the thousands of protesters arrested during the protests that erupted after the announcement of the election results in 2009.
Authorities had earlier released the daughter of the former president, but she was sentenced in late 2011 for six months in prison for “propaganda against the regime”. Her sentence had hitherto not been applied. A son of Rafsanjani, Mehdi Hashemi, also referred to a judicial proceeding, left Iran three years ago and lives in London.
Hashemi Rafsanjani had indirectly supported one of the candidates for the 2009 presidential election, Mir Hossein Mousavi. The latter with another opposition leader, Mehdi Karroubi, were leading the protest against the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Since then, both have been placed under house arrest. Rafsanjani heads the powerful Expediency Council, the highest court of arbitration in the country. In the past, there has been criticism directed towards him by the conservative regime for not condemning the opposition leaders. Since last year, however, Rafsanjani has distanced himself from Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi.
