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Leading Iranian Reformer Jailed for Six Years

(Times-UK) Martin Fletcher - Former Iranian vice president and leading reformer Mohammad Ali Abtahi has been sentenced to six years in prison for fomenting unrest after President Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in June. During the election this year, Abtahi was an adviser to Mehdi Karroubi, one of the defeated candidates. He was arrested four days after the June 12 vote. On his last blog post he called the election a "huge swindle." Abtahi was not seen again until he and 100 others appeared at a televised mass trial on August 1, where he read out a statement saying that the election was fair and that the subsequent demonstrations were part of a reformist plot to seize power. Fahimeh Mousavinejad, his wife, said that he had lost 40 lb. during 44 days in solitary confinement, and appeared to be drugged.
2009-11-24 08:09:53
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