IranWire:

The Islamic Republic's authorities have sentenced a prominent Sunni cleric to five years in prison.

The Special Clerical Court in Mashhad handed down the sentence to Molavi Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of southeastern Rask.

On Monday, Molavi Abdulghafar Naqshbandi, the son of Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi, announced that the court had sentenced his father to five years in prison, a verdict that the Supreme Court has upheld.

Molavi Naqshbandi, known for his support of the 2022 nationwide anti-government protests, was arrested on August 20, 2023.

He faces charges of "disseminating false information through speeches, defaming the Islamic Republic, and acting against national security."

Previously, his son reported that the elderly cleric was tortured using a "stunt gun and an ironing machine" while detained at the Intelligence Department in Zahedan, the provincial capital

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