Death Sentence Reimposed on Iran Professor

[Jim Sagle]

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran - An Iranian court has reimposed a death sentence on a university professor who criticized clerical rule, a judicial official told The Associated Press on Monday.

The original sentence handed down to Hashem Aghajari in November 2002 provoked the biggest student demonstrations in years and highlighted the power struggle between reformists and conservatives in Iran.

<snip>

A history professor at a Tehran teachers' college, Aghajari was convicted in 2002 of insulting Islam and questioning the rule of hard-line clerics. He made the remarks in a speech to students in Hamedan, 190 miles southwest of Tehran.

He was sentenced to receive 74 lashes and condemned to death. He was also banned from teaching for 10 years and exiled for eight years.

More at http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20040503/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_death_sentence

Redundancy in sentencing – ya gotta love it.

[BJ]

1. Can't understand why Dubya has a problem with Iran?

Seems like Repugs and Iranian Shi'ite fundies agree philosophically on most social and humanitarian issues?

[Just Me]

2. Do you think we can convince them to form their own country,...

,...out in the middle of an ocean, on a boat, or something?

:bounce:

I love the "redundancy" comment. Makes me think of how we impose multiple life sentences,...as if one life sentence simply isn't enough?

[AndyTiedye]

4. Launch Them Into Space to meet their rapture together...

...call it the "B Ark".

[Just Me]

5. What concerns me,...

,...is that, while fundamentalism is being pressured out, there,...it is being pressured back in, here. We are living in such weird times LOL!!!

But, with respect to your post,...maybe Bush's mission to Mars ain't such a bad idea, after all. The fundies can be the ones to colonize that planet!!!

:bounce:

[jdj]

6. It's like back to the future.

Maybe he'll get out of it. It sounds from the article that they might have to overturn this sentence too, it's not final. He won't get the lashes now at least.

Talk about bravery. And I think I have it rough because I'm hesitating to put my John Kerry sticker on my car because my boss is a super fundie and I can't afford to lose my job. Same shit, different country.

[damnraddem]

3. If I were him, I'd ask to serve the 8-year exile first,

then work like hell from abroad to overthrow these religious nutcases.

[w4rma]

7. exiled for 8 years and condemned to death? How does that work? (nt)