Source: &
April 17, 2010

Mohammad Nourizad has been imprisoned because of the three open letters he published directed toward the supreme leader, and a letter of criticism toward the head of the judiciary branch. He’s been illegally detained for 120 days.

The text of the court’s sentence contains surprisingly primitive content that one may take it for an article from the hardliner newspaper Keyhan.
Here’s the text of the letter:

Mohammad Nourizad stands accused of taking action against the Islamic republic of Iran establishment, and insults to the supreme leader, the president, head of judiciary, and Mr. Elmolhoda of the Friday prayers of Mashhad who has filed a complaint personally and is attached to this letter. In the court of law, the accused has insisted on his crimes and has viewed them as constructive criticism. The court, based on facts that insults are not constructive criticism in any regulations, or in any rules or customs, and the fact that the behavior of the accused bears no resemblance to criticism and instead the accused has through the delicacies acquired through his occupation as an artist insulted the dignity of people and in some cases the whole nation. [The structure of the half-sentence here is maintained from the original court letter.] Since his favorite candidate has not achieved the trust of people, the accused has directed insults toward people too. The content of more than 400 files is a collection of interviews and letter of the accused that are too embarrassing to deserve a mention. It is possible that similar revolting phrases would have seemed less repulsive in a repulsive context, but the way the accused has applied these phrases to [such honorable] characters have made phrases even more repulsive. It is worth mention that considering the age of the accused, the court expected him to be more moderate. However it is something to pay attention to, when a man of this age, exactly a 58-year-old man, at the site of his favorite candidate’s failure falls prey to excited youthful illusions to a degree that he fails to control his emotions and publishes a letter of insult in the form of criticism accompanied with such hatred and spite that is even unseen in the literature of longest standing enemies [of the establishment.]

In the same writings, the accused has introduced himself as the friend and companion of the leader, but it seems that with a friend like this who slanders the characters of the greatest establishment officials, there is no need for an enemy. (from the Persian proverb: with a friend [who is treacherous] like you, I need not worry about my enemies.)

In any case, the court has seen the accusations, find the accused guilty as charged. Considering the accused lack of learning from his mistakes, according to articles 500,514, 609 and 608 the accused is sentenced to:

1. Sentenced to one year in prison, including the days he’s been detained thus far, due to activism in distributing propaganda against the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and desecrating the image of thirty years of the Islamic establishment.
2. Two years in prison because of insults towards the supreme leader
3. 91 days in prison due to insults towards the president
4. 91 days in prison due to insults towards the head of judiciary
5. 50 whips due to insults to Ayatollah Elmolhoda, the organizer of Friday prayers in Mashhad, and representative of people in the Council of Experts of Supreme Leadership.

This sentence is eligible for trial in 20 days after its issue in any trial court of the province of Tehran

- Head of the branch 26 of the Islamic Republic court, Judge Pirabbasi