Iranian Zanjan City Court has sentenced advocate Yashar Khakkakpur, who is from South Azerbaijan by backbone, to six months suspended imprisonment and 50 lashes.
Khakkakpur told Trend he is charged with conducting counterpropaganda against Iranian regime, spreading the e-materials of media outlets offending the dignity and honor of the country's officials, organizing poetry evenings 21 Azar (Iranian Azerbaijan's Independence Day and the anniversary of the beginning of Jafar Pishevari's movement).
Khakkakpur was also arrested by Maraga police and released on bail after a month.
"They filed a lawsuit on me because I protect the rights of Azerbaijanis residing in Iran and I organized a poetry evening without the Zanjan University monitoring group's permission," Khakkakpur said over telephone from Turkey.
Yashar Khakkakpur was editor-in-chief of student publications Giziluzen and Zanjan sozleri issued in Zanjan city in South Azerbaijan, one of the founders of non-government authority House of Azerbaijani Children (Azerbaijan ovladlarinin Evi) which operated in the Maraga city.