Iran has sentenced the son of an opposition leader to six months in prison over “propaganda against the regime”, AFP reports, citing Iranian media.
Hossein Karroubi, the eldest son of Mehdi Karroubi, was reportedly detained by officials for publishing a letter his father sent last year to President Hassan Rouhani.
"Karroubi wrote a letter in (April 2016) to the president and demanded... a trial from an authorized court to examine his charges," said Hossein's lawyer, Mohammad Jalilian.
Mehdi Karroubi and fellow opposition figure Mir Hossein Mousavi were reformist candidates during the 2009 presidential election, and questioned the shock victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad which led to mass protests.
A year later, in 2010, government forces firebombed the five-story Tehran home of Karroubi, and beat his bodyguard into unconsciousness.
In 2011, both leaders ended up under house arrest for their part in the protests, which regime leaders called “the sedition”.
Security officials have filed a complaint against Karroubi's son for "propaganda against the regime", the lawyer said, according to AFP. He added that Hossein Karroubi denies the charges and said he will appeal the decision.
There have been repeated calls for Karroubi and Mousavi to be tried in court to no avail, noted AFP.
Ahmadinejad’s successor Hassan Rouhani, despite being touted by the West as a “moderate”, did not act to release the two from house arrest despite promising to do so during the 2013 election campaign.
Mehdi Karroubi recently announced he would quit his party.