We issued the following statement today after Iranian authorities sentenced journalist and economist Bahman Ahmadi Amouee to seven years and four months’ imprisonment and 34 lashes for anti-state activities. Amouee was detained on June 19, 2009, with his wife, Zhila Bani-Yaghoub, editor-in-chief of the Iranian Women’s Club…
“The sentence handed down to Amouee is patently political in its nature,” said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ’s program coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. “The government’s repeated efforts to enforce censorship through excessive prison terms are not only unlawful, but also ineffectual. Tehran should immediately bring to an end its months-long assault on the press.”