Iranian American scholar gets 12-year term in unrest

Iran ignored appeals by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the rock star Sting and sentenced an Iranian American academic yesterday to 12 years in prison for his alleged role in antigovernment demonstrations after the country's disputed presidential election. The sentence for Kian Tajbakhsh, 47, was the longest prison term yet in a mass trial of more than 100 opposition figures, activists, and journalists in the postelection turmoil. Tajbakhsh's heavy sentence signaled that Tehran was sticking to a tough line overall on the political unrest. It came amid calls in Iran for prosecution of the most senior opposition figure, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, and suggestions that three U.S. hikers, detained in July after accidentally crossing into Iran, could face charges.

Tajbakhsh, a social scientist and urban planner who holds dual citizenship, was arrested at his Tehran home July 9. He was the only American detained in the crackdown that crushed giant street protests by hundreds of thousands after the June 12 election. The opposition contends that the vote was rigged in favor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The security sweep went far beyond protesters on the streets, snatching up rights activists, journalists, and opposition politicians. The government accused them of organizing the protests on behalf of Iran's foreign enemies to foment a "velvet revolution" to overthrow the country's Islamic leadership.

The White House, in a statement yesterday, expressed "our deepest regret and strong objection" to Tajbakhsh's sentencing, saying that he posed no threat to Iran and urging that he be freed. Clinton had appealed in August for his release, and he also had been specifically named in a call by the British rock star Sting to free all political prisoners in Iran.

Tajbakhsh's lawyer, Houshang Azhari, told the IRNA news agency he would appeal the conviction on charges of "acting against national security." He said that the law barred him from divulging the full details of the sentence, asserting only that it was "more than 12 years." The appeal could open an avenue for freeing Tajbakhsh. Roxana Saberi, an Iranian American journalist arrested this year, was convicted of espionage but freed on appeal in what was widely seen as a political decision to defuse tensions with Washington.

Tajbakhsh had been targeted by Iranian authorities before. In 2007, he was arrested on similar charges while working for the pro-democracy Open Society Institute, run by U.S. philanthropist George Soros - a figure whom Iran often has cited as part of the antigovernment plot. Tajbakhsh denied the charges and was released after four months in prison. Afterward, Tajbakhsh left the Open Society Institution and remained with his family in Iran, working on a book.

Source:Philly.com