TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – A special court formed after Iran’s post-election unrest has convicted an Iranian-American academic and sentenced him to more than 12 years in prison, state media said Tuesday.
Kian Tajbakhsh was the only American in an ongoing mass trial of alleged Iranian opposition members and reportedly faced charges including espionage, contacting foreign agents and acting against Iran’s national security.
Tajbakhsh was arrested July 9 during a crackdown on protesters and Iranian political figures rallying against the disputed presidential elections, which critics claimed were rigged in favor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Washington has repeatedly denounced Tajbaksh’s arrest. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appealed in August for Tajbakhsh’s release, and he was specially named in a call by the British rock star Sting to free all political prisoners in Iran.
