Former Iranian vice president sentenced to prison for 'threatening national security'
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 12 September 2018 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Former Iranian vice president sentenced to prison for 'threatening national security', 12 September 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc053a5a.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 12, 2018 14:02 GMT
Former Iranian Vice President Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei speaks with journalists during a press conference after registering as a candidate for president in Tehran in May 2017.
Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a vice president, chief of staff, and senior aide under former Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, has been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison after being convicted on charges including threatening national security, Iranian media report.
A top press aide to Ahmadinejad, Ali Akbar Javanfekr, received a four-year prison sentence in the same case, the official government news agency IRNA reported on September 12. IRNA cited the chief justice of Tehran Province, who said the sentences can be appealed within 20 days.
Ahmadinejad, a hard-line conservative who was president from 2005 to 2013, has in the past criticized Iran's powerful judiciary over the arrests of his aides and supporters including Mashaei, who was arrested in March.
Hamid Baghaei, a former vice president and close Ahmadinejad aide, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in December following a conviction on corruption charges. Baghaei was jailed in March.
The Guardians Council – which vets presidential candidates – prevented Ahmadinejad and Baghaei from running in the 2017 presidential election that returned President Hassan Rohani to office for a second term.
Based on reporting by IRNA, Fars, and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
