THE TELEGRAPH: A student who was arrested for throwing a stone during pro-democracy demonstrations is to be executed, Iran said yesterday.
Mohammad-Amin Valian, a 20-year-old Islamic studies student, was arrested on the basis of a photograph taken at a mass demonstration against the rigged presidential election last year. He was among six people convicted of the Islamic crime of moharebeh, or waging war against God.
Their sentences were announced in an apparent attempt to forestall fresh demonstrations to coincide with yesterday's annual festival of fire.
Mr Valian's plight has become a rallying point for opponents of the regime and yesterday's announcement is the latest blow to the movement. The combination of his young age and the flimsy nature of his offence has spurred condemnation of the severity of the sentence.
Clashes were reported last night as Iranians celebrated Charshanbe Soori, a pre-Islamic bonfire night, in defiance of warnings of severe retaliation from the regime. >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, March 16, 2010
