NO FREEDOM IN IRAN

Iran: Man sentenced to 6 years imprisonment for selling comedy skit

The Iranian regime has arrested a man and sentenced him to six years in prison for selling DVDs containing copies of comedy programs regularly aired by opposition TV channel Simay-e Azadi or Iran National Television (INTV).

Farhad Rabie, owner of a shop that distributes and sells music and movie DVDs was sentenced on 7 August 2013 to 6 years in prison. He was arrested on the third week of May 2013 in Shahr-e Kord, in Isfahan provinceon the same charge but was later released on bail, but ultimately the ruling against him was confirmed and he was sent back to prison.

Simay-e Azadi (Iran National TV) is a satellite TV that broadcasts news on Iran and activities of opposition.

The programs of this TV channel particularly its comedy programs which expose the mullahs and leaders of the mullahs’ regime are very popular among the Iranian people especially youths and its video clips are distributed throughout the country.

The sentence was issued few days before the TV channel had its 16th fund raising Telethon on August 9-12 during which Iranian from inside the country and across the world contributed more than $4m to this TV channel.

This telethon was a vivid example of the Iranian people’s solidarity and their strong will for change in Iran. The participants expressed their support for the Iranian Resistance and its President-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi.

In this telethon that marked the 25th anniversary of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, released political prisoners and family members of the martyrs and Ashraf and Liberty residents, revealed more shocking accounts of the massacre of members of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI /MEK), and strongly condemned the regime’s conspiracy aimed at cloaking this crime against humanity, and exposed the regime’s elements involved in this policy.

In recent years, the Iranian regimes state security forces repeatedly raided houses of people in cities across Iran trying to collect satellite dishes and equipment to prevent people from watching Simay-e Azadi (INTV).