A prominent Iranian reformist newspaper editor has been taken to prison after an appeal court in Tehran ruled that he should serve a two-and-a-half years jail sentence.

Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, editor in chief of the newspaper, Asr e Azadegan, was originally sentenced to three years in jail, but the sentence was slightly reduced on appeal.

Mr Shamsolvaezin has been at liberty while his appeal against a three-year sentence handed down by a special press court in November was being considered.

He appeared finally at the court of appeals to be told that a fine which he had also been ordered to pay had been quashed, but his prison sentence had been reduced by just six months.

Lawyer promises action

Later he was out on the street talking to reporters when he was ordered back into the court, detained by the police and taken off to prison. His lawyer pointed out that a former police intelligence chief sentenced to prison for maltreating detainees had lost his appeal, but was still at liberty pending further procedures.

For Mr Shamsolvaezin, there is just one further possbile recourse. He has a month during which he can lodge a complaint with the prosecutor general - something his lawyer said would be done within 24 hours.

Previous similar representations by convicted liberals have been turned down, so Mr Shamsolvaezin may well find himself joining the ranks of other reformists serving jail sentences after being on the receiving end of court actions which they regard as part of a right-wing campaign to silence them.

Reformists in trouble

Several more figures from the reformist press are also facing similar charges in one or other of the courts, which are generally regarded as dominated by the right wing.

Mr Shamsolvaezin's main offence was that he was deemed to have offended Islamic values by publishing an article questoining the principle of capital punishment.

Among those currently facing cases at the special press court is president Khatami's younger brother, Mohammad-Reza Khatami, the man who led the reformists to the their general election victory in February.