Newsweek reporter Maziar Bahari (mah-ZEE'-ar ba-HAR'-ee) says the Iranian government is attempting to frighten people from protesting or reporting on the June 12 anniversary of the disputed presidential elections by sentencing him to 13 years in prison and 74 lashes.
He told The Associated Press on Tuesday in a phone interview that the court's sentence in absentia was preceded by threatening phone calls.
Bahari was among scores of political activists and other figures detained amid a crackdown following disputed presidential elections last year.
Bahari spent nearly four months in jail but was released on bail of 3 billion rials ($300,000) and allowed to leave the country to join his British wife in London in October.
He is a dual Canadian and Iranian citizen.
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