IranWire:

ROGHAYEH REZAEI

An Iranian software engineer faces a decade in prison on espionage charges after posting workplace selfies on Instagram and seeking justice for a friend killed during the country’s 2022 protests.

Mostafa Mohebi, 37, was sentenced to 10 years and two days by Branch One of the Revolutionary Court in northern Rasht after intelligence agents arrested him in January 2023.

The charges included espionage for foreign states, membership in a monarchist opposition group, and photographing military sites

However, according to sources close to the case and legal experts, the evidence consisted primarily of Instagram posts showing the electrical substation where Mohebi worked as an engineer - a facility that displayed no signs prohibiting photography and is not considered a military installation.

“Photographing prohibited places is an independent crime and cannot be equated with espionage,” said Mousa Barzin, a jurist and legal advisor to IranWire.

He added, "Apart from the fact that there must be a sign prohibiting photography. If there's no guard and no sign, how should a person know?"

The case highlights how Iranian authorities have systematically targeted protesters in small towns since the 2022 demonstrations, using fabricated charges and sustained pressure campaigns to silence dissent and destroy the lives of those who spoke out

Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar handed down the sentence, which was later upheld in full by Branch 11 of the Gilan Province Court of Appeals, headed by Mohammad Sadegh Iran-Aghideh.

The chain of events leading to Mohebi’s imprisonment began on September 21, 2022, when his neighbor, 28-year-old Seyed Abbas Mir-Mousavi, was shot dead during protests in Langrud, a coastal city in Gilan Province.

The demonstrations had swept across Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.

According to human rights sources, security forces killed Mir-Mousavi with live ammunition. He left behind a young daughter.

Mir-Mousavi was the brother of Mohebi’s best friend. In response, Mohebi began posting stories and messages on social media demanding justice for his slain neighbor.

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