Iranian Journalist Sentenced to Over 5 Years in Prison

The Islamic Republic's authorities have sentenced a Kurdish journalist to over five years in prison, according to human rights sources.

Mostafa Nemati, a journalist and economist from the Kurdish town of Abdanan in western Ilam province, has been sentenced to 5 years and 4 months in prison by a court in Tehran.

Nemati, 48, was sentenced to 8 months for "propaganda against the Islamic Republic," 40 months for "insulting religious sanctities," and 16 months for "spreading false information," according to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.

He was recently summoned to Evin Prison by Branch 1 of the Criminal Court's Enforcement Office in Tehran to begin serving his sentence.

Nemati is an economist and columnist for the Tejarat-e Farda newspaper and an active member of mountaineering groups in Abdanan.