Iranian Whistleblower Yashar Soltani Imprisoned Again: Public Corruption Exposés Lead to Controversial Sentence

Iranian whistleblower Yashar Soltani has been arrested and sentenced to 13 months in prison for allegedly spreading lies to disturb the public mind. This comes after years of his anti-corruption exposés, which previously led to a five-year prison sentence. Several journalists and activists have also been detained recently.

Iranian whistleblower Yashar Soltani has once again found himself behind bars. This time, he faces a 13-month prison sentence following a conviction for allegedly "spreading lies to disturb the public mind,'' according to Iranian media reports on Sunday.

The state-run IRNA news agency confirmed that the Tehran prosecutor summoned Soltani to prison. The conviction was upheld by a court of appeal after 17 plaintiffs contested an earlier decision by a lower court. Details of the initial case remain undisclosed.

Soltani, known for his relentless reporting on corruption within public bodies, has previously faced a five-year prison sentence in 2019 for exposing dubious land deals tied to Tehran's ex-mayor, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. These revelations have not deterred Soltani, who was later released on bail, from continuing his journalism.

In a trend highlighting the increased repression of journalistic freedom, Iranian authorities have also recently detained several journalists and activists on security-related charges.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)