Iran sentences man behind viral protest video to 10 years in prison
Masoud Payahoo, who recorded a viral video of a lone protester sitting before security forces during Iran’s nationwide protests in January, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on accusations of alleged cooperation with Israel, Tehran-based Emtedad news website reported.
His lawyer, Hassan Aghakhani, said Payahoo had recorded the video spontaneously and had no intention of making it public, adding that he had shared it only with a limited number of friends in a private Instagram story.
The 10-year sentence was upheld by Branch 9 of the Supreme Court and referred for enforcement, Aghakhani said adding that Payahoo must now report to prison.
