Death sentence puts Iran's courts under pressure

Tehran (Agence France-Presse): Iran's hardline judiciary was under mounting pressure on Wednesday to overturn a death sentence on a prominent reformist academic, amid more student protests and warnings of dire consequences from top political leaders.

Embattled reformist President Mohammad Khatami broke his silence over the crisis, dubbing last week's blasphemy conviction for his close ally Hashem Aghajari as "inappropriate"

"This verdict was inappropriate. I personally do not accept such practices," Khatami was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA.

"Such a verdict should never have been issued and I hope that this issue will soon be resolved," the president added, insisting "the death penalty is not applicable and will not be applied."

Up to 2,500 angry Tehran university students were also back out on campus for their fifth straight day of protests, while police and antiriot squads kept a discreet eye on the proceedings from streets outside.

The atmosphere was largely calm, with both sides apparently keen to avoid a repeat of the events of July 1999, when student protests on the campus degenerated into violent street clashes.

But Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi nevertheless told reporters that the shock verdict, handed down by a court in the western city of Hamedan, "will certainly have repercussions" for Iran's image abroad.

And government spokesman Abdullah Ramezanzadeh said the verdict "goes against our national interests".

"This verdict has had disastrous consequences inside and outside of the country," he said.

But both the judiciary and Aghjari defiantly hardened their positions, dashing hopes that a face-saving way out of the crisis could be found.

Aghajari's lawyer told a press conference his client was "ready to die" and had refused to enter the appeals process — in which experts say he could expect to see his sentence reduced.

Aghajari will be executed 20 days after the Nov. 13 verdict.

For its part the judiciary, a bastion of Iran's right, was defiant.

"How can one defend someone who claims to be a Muslim but casts doubt on the principles of the religion ... and qualifies as monkeys those who follow religious dignitaries," the judiciary's public relations office said in a statement.