A prominent history professor twice condemned to death on blasphemy charges has been sentenced to three years in jail for insulting Islamic sacred beliefs, the judge in charge of the case said Tuesday. The defendant's lawyer said he would appeal.Hashem Aghajari, a professor at Tehran's Teachers Training University, had his death sentence overturned twice before the charges were reduced in a third trial earlier this month. Judge Mohammad Eslami said he issued his verdict Saturday and informed Aghajari's lawyer on Tuesday. He said the sentence also deprives Aghajari of his social rights for five years, meaning he cannot take official posts or compete in elections. Eslami told The Associated Press that he acquitted Aghajari of charges of propagating against the ruling Islamic establishment" and "spreading lies for the purpose of inciting public opinion." Aghajari's lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, said the full sentence was five years, with two years suspended. Aghajari, who has already spent more than two years in jail, will serve just one year of the new sentence. "Aghajari is innocent and has to be acquitted. I will definitely appeal the sentence within the legal 20 days period," Nikbakht told the AP.
The charges stemmed from a June 2002 speech in which Aghajari said clerics' teachings on Islam were considered sacred simply because they were part of history. He was initially convicted on charges of blasphemy, insulting Islam and questioning Iran's clerical rule, but both death sentences were overturned by the Supreme Court after a public outcry. Earlier this month, he stood three days of open trial on amended charges that carried a penalty of one to five years imprisonment. The judiciary did not explain why the charges were reduced. The new verdict is widely seen as a compromise that saves Aghajari's life and at the same time avoids discrediting the Iranian judiciary. Aghajari used this month's trial as a platform to defend democratic reforms and denounce hard-line clerics who he said suppress freedoms in the name of Islam, comments that already cost him more than two years in jail. He firmly rejected charges that he insulted Islamic sacred tenants. Aghajari said during his trial that he defends "an Islam that brings about freedom and is compatible with democracy and human rights. I've opposed interpretations that justify suppression and dictatorship in the name of Islam." During his trial, Aghajari said he had "no hope" of justice and repeatedly accused judge Eslami of violating neutrality. |