New York, April 18, 2002—Ali-Hamed Imam, editor of the local weekly
Shams-e Tabriz, was sentenced to 74 lashes and seven months
in prison on April 16 by a court in Tabriz, 350 miles (560 kilometers)
northwest of the capital, Tehran.
According to Iran's state news agency, IRNA, the court also revoked
Imam's publishing license and suspended the paper. IRNA reported that
17 charges had been filed against Imam stemming from "repeated press
offenses."
Iranian authorities have closed more than 40 newspapers since a crackdown
on the press began two years ago.
