Dubai: Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has sentenced his niece to three years in prison. An outspoken opponent of the Islamic Republic of Iran named Faridah Moradkhani was detained in November after she expressed her support for the ongoing anti-regime protests across Iran.
According to Muradkhani's lawyer, Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, he also urged the international community to cut ties with Tehran.
Aghasi also noted that Moradkhani's sentence was reduced from the original 15-year sentence that was imposed on his client.
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He also pointed out that the outspoken critic was tried by Iran's Special Clerical Court, an institution that is separate from the country's judiciary and responsible for administering justice to clerics and reporting directly to the Supreme Leader.
Muradkhani's lawyer explained that because his client was not a cleric, the court did not have jurisdiction over his case. Additionally, he made no mention of the allegations against his client, and up to this point, no statements have been made by the authorities.
Moradkhani was detained twice—once earlier this year and once in 2018—for criticizing the government. This week, Badri Hosseini Khamenei, Moradkhani's mother and sister of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, also expressed her disapproval of the government and urged the military to join the protesters before "it is too late".
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She reportedly expressed her opinion in a letter that was shared by her son, who lives in France. The letter states that Ali Khamenei's revolutionary guards and mercenaries must immediately surrender their weapons and unite with the people before it is too late.
As is my human duty, decades ago I often brought the voice of the people before my brother Ali Khamenei. I severed my relationship with him, however, when I realized he was not listening and was continuing [former Supreme Leader Ruhollah] Khomeini's policy of repressing and killing innocent people.
Since 16 September, when Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, died after being detained by morality police in Tehran, protests broke out across the country.
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Security forces have killed at least 458 protesters, including 63 children and 29 women, according to Oslo-based rights organization Iran Human Rights.