November 10, 2007
Mariwan, Iranian Kurdistan, -- Iran's supreme
court has upheld a death sentence against one
Kurdish journalist on espionage charges but
overturned that against another, defence counsel
said on Friday.
"The death sentence for Adnan Hassanpour has been
confirmed by the supreme court," the ISNA news
agency quoted counsel Saleh Nikbakht as saying.
Hassanpour was convicted of "espionage, giving the
specifications of military sites ... and contacting
an individual in the US State Department." www.ekurd.net
He received the death penalty on the basis that the
charges amounted to the capital offence of Mohareb
or "being an enemy of God", an interpretation the
defence lawyer challenged.
"These accusations, supposedly true, are not
examples of Mohareb," he said, vowing to continue
his fight to spare his client the gallows. |
Kurdish journalists
Adnan Hassanpur (L) and Hiwa Botimar sentenced to death
by the Iranian Islamic regime |
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