November 17, 2009 2:56 PM

Iran: 5 Death Sentences in Election Unrest

(AP)  Iranian state television reports five people have been sentenced to death over the unrest that followed the country's disputed June presidential election.

At least three others caught up in the turmoil have received death sentences previously.

The report on Tuesday quotes a statement by the Justice Department saying the five sentenced were members of terrorist and armed opposition groups.

Iran began a mass trial in August for more than 100 prominent opposition figures and activists over the election protests. They accusations against them range from rioting to spying and plotting what authorities have called a "soft revolution" to topple Iran's Islamic rulers.

The opposition says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected through fraud in the June 12 vote.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Add a Comment
by YourVeryWrong November 18, 2009 12:26 AM EST
Moral and legal equivalence between a constitutional republic and a theocracy does not exist.
Reply to this comment
by rickyg2 November 17, 2009 7:55 PM EST
hey,you break the law,there will be a punishment.we do it here all the time.
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