Iran's judiciary denies confirmation of protester's death sentence

Mar 7, 2010, 9:48 GMT

Tehran - The Iranian judiciary has denied reports that a death verdict for a protester has been confirmed by an appellate court, the labour news agency ILNA reported Sunday.

Opposition websites reported earlier this week that Tehran's appellate court had upheld the sentence of a 20-year-old protester, making him the tenth to be put on death row.

Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said that there has been no appellate court session yet for the protester and, therefore, no confirmation of the initial death verdict, either.

The 20-year-old protester had attended demonstrations in December and was charged with plots against the establishment and having committed 'Moharebeh' - or acting against God, which is punishable by death.

The prosecutor accused the opposition websites of distributing false news and said that the protester still had until mid-March to appeal the initial verdict.

Two members of monarchist groups were already hanged last month for conspiring to topple Iran's Islamic establishment.

Nine of the more than 100 protesters arrested arrested during rallies against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after June's presidential election were sentenced to death on charges of 'Moharebeh.'

The opposition accuses the government of having committed fraud for ensuring Ahmadinejad's re-election.