By Cliff Montgomery – Jan. 22nd, 2009
Iran has handed down multi-year jail terms to two doctors found guilty of engaging in a US-sponsored plot tooverthrow its Islamic government, reported French wire service Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday.
“Arash Alaie was given six years in prison and Kamiar Alaie was sentenced to three years in jail,” said lawyerMassoud Shafiie to AFP.
The jailed brothers are well-known in the medical community as pioneers in HIV/AIDS research. Both havebeen in jail since June.
Shafiie added that he planned to appeal the verdict, and “ask for their release as there is no evidence proving[these] accusations.”
The Iranian government has “taken [the brothers’] opinion on the soft toppling of the regime as confessions,”the lawyer said.
Last week Iran declared it had rooted out a network which hoped to create a ‘soft overthrow’ of that country’sIslamic system–in other words, the group was engaging in a series of actions intended to create socialupheaval and instability.
The plot, added the Iranian government, was directed and financed by the U.S.
Four “key elements” behind this ‘soft overthrow’ plan have been tried and jailed, Iranian officials told AFP. TheAlaie brothers were two of those “key elements” – authorities did not disclose the names of the others.
The network was part of a program which helped Iranian specialists and academics to visit America. Oncethere, people apparently within this operation told the visiting Iranians that the “U.S. is the only savior of Iran,”AFP quoted a top Iranian intelligence officer as saying on Monday.
The officer added that dozens of other individuals also were involved in the group – but officials released themafter deciding they were merely “deceived”.
Tehran charges that the U.S. and Britain have backed both violent and non-violent activities against theIslamic state.
