Iranian Journalist Sentenced to Six Years in Prison
img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-46312" title="iran journalist (1)" src="/files/wxrimport/2010-09/iran-journalist-1.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="105" /><The New York Times reports:
TEHRAN — A day after Iran’s president defended his country’s record in permitting criticism, opposition Web sites reported on Wednesday that the second dissident Iranian journalist in less than a week had been incarcerated on charges including “propaganda against the state.”
The Web sites said the journalist, Emadeddin Baghi, had been ordered jailed for six years for offenses that also included collusion to commit acts “against national security.” The sentencing offered further evidence of Tehran’s determination to suppress dissent after widespread protests following disputed elections in June 2009.
On Tuesday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, visiting New York for a United Nationsmeeting, used a meeting with reporters to defend Iran’s judiciary against criticism over the arrests of an estimated 500 journalists, activists and government officials after the elections, in which he was returned to power.
He told reporters that they did not understand Iran’s judicial system.
“People criticize the government very harshly in fact, and we don’t create any restrictions on it,” he said.
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