Jailed reformist Iranian journalist Ebrahim Nabavi appeared at Tehran's press court Wednesday charged with waging anti-regime propaganda and insulting top officials, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Prosecutor-general Ali-Asqar Tashakori said Nabavi, an ally of moderate President Mohammad Khatami, is being accused of "spreading lies to distort public opinion, waging propaganda against the Islamic system, and insulting top officials."
Nabavi, an editorialist for numerous banned reform newspapers, was jailed in August following several complaints lodged against him, notably for his humouristic articles in which he regularly denounced the country's conservatives.
More than 25 newspapers, including 15 pro-reform dailies, have been shuttered by the conservative courts since April, while several newspaper chiefs and journalists are in jail awaiting trial.
Reformists have charged that the muzzling of the press is part of a wider campaign aimed at hampering the election prospects of Khatami, who is expected to run for a second-term next year – TEHRAN (AFP)
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