DATE=11/27/1999 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=IRAN/SENTENCE L-O NUMBER=2-256569 BYLINE=RICHARD ENGEL DATELINE=CAIRO CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: A court in Iran sentenced a leading reformist to prison Saturday and ordered his newspaper closed. Richard Engel reports from our Middle East Bureau that the sentencing of Abdullah Nouri is considered a major setback for moderates in Iran. TEXT: Iran's official news agency reports that a special clerical court in Tehran sentenced Mr. Nouri to five years in prison and barred him from working in the media. The court also imposed a three-thousand dollar fine on Mr. Nouri. The journalist was found guilty of insulting Iran's religious government in articles published in a newspaper he managed called Khordad. The court also convicted Mr. Nouri of advocating better ties with Iran's arch-enemies, Israel and the United States. The special court's decision cannot be appealed and Mr. Nouri - a former interior minister and one of Iran's most popular moderates - was taken to prison after the verdict was handed down. The sentence prevents Mr. Nouri from taking part in February's key parliamentary elections. Many reformers in Iran had hoped Mr. Nouri, once elected, would be named the speaker of parliament. Mr. Nouri became the editor of Khordad after the nation's hard-line dominated parliament voted to remove him as interior minister. A spokesperson for Khordad said Saturday's verdict also calls for the newspaper to be shut down. Mr. Nouri is a staunch supporter of Iran's moderate president, Mohammed Khatami, and his trial has been seen as part of the power struggle between hard-liners and reformists. Hard-liners have taken a number of President Khatami's closest allies to court. They have ordered the arrest of many journalists and refused to prosecute vigilantes who have attacked moderates. Three leading reformist newspapers have been shut down during the past year.(Signed) NEB/RHE/DW/JP 27-Nov-1999 08:22 AM EDT (27-Nov-1999 1322 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
