Nine years in prison for journalist critical of the government in Iran
In Iran, an editor-in-chief critical of the government has been sentenced to nine years in prison. This follows protests against the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Journalist Said Lailas is accused of fomenting the unrest in June, his lawyer told the semi-official Fars news agency on Wednesday. Lailas, who worked for the daily Sarmajeh, which was banned last month, is also accused of taking part in illegal gatherings and being in possession of secret information. According to SDA, the lawyer announced that he would appeal against the verdict.
Following the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the opposition accused the government of massive electoral fraud. However, the leadership in Tehran rejected this and cracked down on the demonstrators, who took to the streets in their thousands. In Iran, five people have so far been sentenced to death and more than 80 to prison terms of up to 15 years in connection with the protests.
Following the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the opposition accused the government of massive electoral fraud. However, the leadership in Tehran rejected this and cracked down on the demonstrators, who took to the streets in their thousands. In Iran, five people have so far been sentenced to death and more than 80 to prison terms of up to 15 years in connection with the protests.
