Batebi's Doctor Sentenced to Prison

Ahmad Batebi; photo: Iranian.com

Iranian Doctor Who Helped Activist Sentenced To Prison

An Iranian physician who treated a well-known student activist in Tehran has said he has been sentenced to one year in prison. Hessam Firuzi told Radio Farda that he has been convicted on security charges and also for giving interviews to foreign radios and websites. He has 20 days to appeal the sentence.

Firuzi said he has been detained three times in recent months and jailed. In his interviews, he had warned about the health of jailed student activist Ahmad Batebi and called for his release from prison. Batebi was arrested for his involvement in 1999 student demonstrations in Tehran. Batebi became a symbol of Iran's student movement after his photo was used by a number of international news publications to illustrate student unrest in Iran.