Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 16 / Trend T. Jafarov /
The Iranian President's media advisor, the director of the state news agency IRNA, Ali Akbar Javanfekr was sentenced to a one year, suspended imprisonment. He was also banned from any social activity for five years, Mr Javanfekr's lawyer Qahraman Shodzhai was quoted by the Iranian agency İSNA as saying.
The lawyer said that his client is prohibited from taking part in any political party activity, certain groups and societies and media outlets during the period. An appeal on the court's decision may be filed within 20 days.
Mr Javanfekr was editor in chief of one of the country's leading newspaper, Iran. The Iranian media recently reported that he was sentenced to one year imprisonment according to the Tehran court decision. He was removed from his work in the media for three years, but this message was later denied.
Mr Javanfekr was charged with publishing material contrary to Islamic norms and human values in a special issue of Khatun.
In an interview with Etimad Milli newspaper in November, Mr Javanfekr spoke harshly about former Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Iran's Prosecutor General Gulamhusein Mohsuni Ejei. Following the publication of this interview, this newspaper was closed.