Iran's Government spokesman hopes Ganji's case to be settled soon

Islamic Republic News Agency:

Government spokesman Abdullah Ramezanzadeh here Tuesday expressed hope the case of the jailed journalist Akbar Ganji would be settled soon through coordination between the government and the judiciary.

He told IRNA in this holy city, 160 km southeast of the capital, President Mohammad Khatami has publicly opined on the issue and has discussed it with Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi.

Furthermore, said the spokesman, a number of "friends and I are currently negotiating with Tehran's public prosecutor (Saeed Mortazavi) and other judicial officials to solve the problem." Ganji, was admitted to a Tehran hospital on July 18 for knee surgery.

He was sentenced to six years in prison in 2001 after he wrote a series of articles linking senior officials to the murder of political dissidents.

The pressure on the regime is coming from all sides. From international pressure, growing support for Ganji in Iran, to the unrest in the Kurdish region and Ahwaz. If the regime doesn't get control soon things could spin out of control.