Wednesday, August 26, 2015 2:33:12 PM

Two members of the spiritual group known as "Erfan-E-Halgheh" (deviated Halqeh Cult) were sentenced to seven years imprisonment for "blasphemy" by the Islamic Revolutionary Court.

The members were delivered to the Evin prison to serve their prison terms on 25 Aug 2015, the governmental news agencies said.

Previously, 12 other members of the group have been totally convicted to 24 years in prison and 100 million Tomans (3,350 $) fine for "illegal acquisition of property" by the court.

Dr. Mohammad-Ali Taheri, the founder of "Erfan-E-Halgheh" who has been in Evin prison since May 2011, was sentenced to capital punishment on the charge of "Ifsad fi al-Arz" (spreading corruption on Earth) under Islamic Penal Code as his lawyer Mahmoud Alizadeh said.

The governmental news agencies closed to Iran's Intelligence Service said that Mr. Taheri convicted to six years imprisonment. He was previously sentenced to 37 years in prison, fine on the charge of blasphemy, disturbing the medical treatment and also convicted to 74 lashes for touching his patients without a medical license in the Revolutionary Court on 2014-2015 as news agencies said.

Mohammad Ali Taheri was detained on 4 May 2011 by officials linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and held incommunicado for nine months in Ward 2-A of the Evin Prison. Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran convicted him, on 30 October 2011, of "insulting Islamic sanctities" and allegedly sentenced him to five years in prison after four court sessions in which he defended himself.

By: Kaveh Taheri