Iran 'sentences 7 reformists to jail terms, media ban'

TEHRAN: Seven reformists in Iran including a brother of ex-president Mohammad Khatami have been given one-year jail terms and banned from all political and media activity for two years.

"I can confirm this report but we will have to appeal," university academic Mohammad Reza Jalaipour told AFP in a text message.



Lawyer Hojat Kermani, quoted by ILNA news agency, named four of the other reformists convicted as ex-deputy parliament speaker Mohammad Reza Khatami, former legislator Mohsen Safaie Farahani,

Azar Mansouri, a member of an advisory panel for president Khatami during his 1997-2005 term, and Hossein Kashefi.



The lawyer said all five had been found guilty of "anti-regime propaganda", but he could not specify the charges against two other convicted reformists, ex-MPs Ali Shakouri Rad and Mohammad Naimipour, because he had not represented them.

In apparent reference to the seven, Tehran prosecutor general Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said last week they had been sentenced to jail "and other terms", but without providing details.

The seven were leaders of the Islamic Iran Participation Front which authorities dissolved in 2010 following a wave of unprecedented protests against the re-election the previous year of hard line president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.