Iranian satirist recants in court

Many of Iran's reformists have fallen foul of the law

By Jim Muir in Tehran

One of Iran's best-known satirical writers has pleaded guilty to charges of insulting officials and propagating untruths.

My extremism was irresponsible and in principle all extremism is wrong and irresponsible

Ebrahim Nabavi

Ebrahim Nabavi had been a regular columnist in many of the reformist newspapers which have been closed down in recent months.

He apologised to those who felt offended by his work.

Ebrahim Nabavi is one of a number of prominent journalists and commentators who have been arrested as part of a clampdown since the spring.

Mr Nabavi has apologised to those he offended

During the period when they flourished, Mr Nabavi was one of the most read and most remarked upon columnists.

His satirical writings, poking fun at officials, won him a strong following of amused supporters.

But he was arrested in mid-August, swelling the ranks of prominent journalists and writers now in Iranian jails. Now he has publicly recanted.

Apology

He accepted all the charges against him except for one complaint brought by the police relating to his comments on an attack on a student dormitory last year which triggered several days of street riots.

Apologising to those he had offended, Mr Nabavi said he had allowed himself to become angry and affected by public opinion and the extremism of some of his friends.

He rejected any suggestion that his confession was the result of ill-treatment or threats.

He said he had not been subjected to any form of physical or psychological pressure.

Compassion

Akbar Ganji did not submit quietly

Being in prison, he said, had given him a chance to rethink his past and re-evaluate his writings.

He asked the judge to exercise compassion in reaching his verdict.

Mr Nabavi's confession stands in strong contrast to the position taken last week in a Teheran revolutionary court by another leading journalist, Akbar Ganji.

He said he had been maltreated in prison and he displayed a defiance that seems likely to attract a much harsher sentence than Mr Nabavi can now expect.