An Iranian couple has been sentenced to prison and flogging on multiple charges, including “keeping a cat.”
Niloufar Ghazaleh and Mohammad Ali Moghimi, from Isfahan province, have been embroiled in a legal battle that began last year after police stopped Ghazaleh for her “improper hijab.”
The situation intensified on October 4, when police visited the couple’s workplace in their village, leading to a dispute over entry permits and identification cards, as noted by their lawyer, Milad Panahipour.
The couple filed a petition on October 5 with the head of the Khur city judiciary, condemning the actions of law enforcement, according to Iranwire.
However, a defamation lawsuit was filed against them, resulting in orders to close their workplace and sentences that included torture and imprisonment.
Ghazaleh received sentences of 74 lashes for insulting a police officer, a fine of 240 million rials (approximately $400) for insulting a conscript, 74 lashes for threatening officers, one year in prison for disturbing public order, and an additional two years for spreading false information, as detailed by Panahipour.
Moghimi was sentenced to a total of three years in prison: two years for “illegally removing the closure seal” and one year for “threatening public health by keeping a cat.”
One of the nine charges against them was dismissed by the appeals court. Ultimately, Ghazaleh will serve one year in prison, while Moghimi will serve two years.
