The head of one of the biggest selling newspapers in Iran, Hossein Shariatmadari, has appeared before the press court in Tehran.

Mr Shariatmadari, who's the managing editor of the conservative Kayhan newspaper, is facing a series of charges, including defamation and publishing lies aimed at disrupting public opinion.

The trial is being seen in Iran as a shift in policy of the press court: Mr Shariatmadari, who was appointed by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is the most important senior conservative journalist to appear before the tribunal.

The court has previously focussed on pro-reform editors and journalists: last November, it sentenced the former interior minister, Abdullah Nouri, for five years.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service