In Iran, a couple were sentenced to a total of 16 years in prison. They had shared family photos on the internet – and are now on the run.
16 years in prison, plus 74 lashes. This is the punishment that Ahmed Moin-Shirazi and his wife Shabnam Shahrokhi await in their native Iran. The couple have been convicted of something that millions of people in this country do every day: They shared photos of their family on the Internet.
The former kickboxer and entrepreneur Moin-Shizari recently announced in an Instagram post that he had fled to Turkey with his wife and two children. There they would start a new life. What sounds like a positive new start has a gloomy background: The family is on the run.
Imprisonment for family photos without a headscarf
In their homeland, the couple had previously noticed that they were being watched. Then both parents were called up by the secret service. The interrogations are said to have lasted several hours, as reported by the Middle East Monitor. There was one topic that came up again and again: parents should stop sharing photos of their families on the Internet. Because the life that they propagated in the pictures does not correspond to the Iranian principles. Rather, they are even criticized – after all, the mother does not even wear a headscarf.
After the questioning, the parents reacted immediately. They brought themselves and their children to safety – in another country. As it turned out, this foresight was justified: In early May, the couple were sentenced to a total of 16 years in prison in their absence – nine for Moin-Shizari, another seven for his wife. There are also 74 lashes.
The family's lawyer is said to have already appealed. But what remains for the father is not only fear, but above all incomprehension: "We advertised love and that is what they are afraid of," he wrote on Instagram looking back. As a result of their flight, they not only lost money and their homes, but also their family and friends. They would feel no remorse – because in their new life they would feel stronger than ever.
It is still unclear whether the challenge to the judgment will be successful. First of all, the family is safe in another country. Nevertheless, the case is a reminder of what many people in this country quickly forget: freedom is the most important good, but in many parts of the world it is still a privilege.