TIME: Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi Sentanced

TIME: World Watch: "TEHRAN

Iran's moderate President Mohammad Khatami suffered a political blow when Iranian courts convicted the Tehran mayor--a key supporter--of embezzlement. The long-serving mayor, Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi, was sentenced to five years in prison and was barred from office until 2018. A sentence of 60 lashes was suspended out of regard for his social standing, the court said. Khatami's supporters say the real target of the trial was the President and his campaign to liberalize Iranian society 20 years after the country's Islamic revolution. In another victory for hard-liners, a court ordered the pro-reform newspaper Jameeah to cease publication."