TEHRAN - A Tehran court sentenced 33 members
of the opposition Iran Freedom Movement (IFM) to jail terms of between
four months and 10 years on Saturday, the official Irna news agency
said. The revolutionary tribunal also ordered the dissolution of the
party founded in the 1960s by the Islamic Republic's first prime
minister Mehdi Bazargan, for "attempting to overthrow the
regime", the news agency said.
Another eight of the 52 party members put on trial
after a crackdown last year were fined between 10 million and 50 million
rials (between $1,250 and $6,250), while 11 were acquitted. Of those
jailed, 21 received terms of between nine months and 10 years, and 12
terms of between four months and two years coupled with a fine of
between 10 million and 30 million rials ($1,250 and $3,750), Irna said
without giving any names.
The liberal Islamist IFM, which had been largely
tolerated by the regime until the 2001 round-up of its members, is
considered close to moderate President Mohammad Khatami and his
reformist administration. Earlier this month, IFM leader Ebrahim Yazdi
for the first time attended a congress of the main pro-reform party, the
Islamic Iran Participation Front, which is headed by Khatami's brother
Mohammad-Reza. - AFP