Iranian Jury Votes to Convict Reformist

TEHRAN — A hard-line clerical jury in Iran has recommended conviction of leading reformist cleric Abdollah Nouri after his trial on charges of political and religious dissent, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported Thursday.

It quoted a court statement as saying the jury voted to convict Nouri, a former interior minister, of 15 unspecified counts.

State radio said the court would pronounce a final verdict at a later date, taking into consideration the jury’s ruling. The ruling apparently paves the way for final conviction of the maverick Nouri, who has denounced the clerical court as unlawful and likened his trial to the Inquisition.

Conviction on all or some of the charges could bar him from February’s parliamentary elections.

Conviction would also probably ban his newspaper, Khordad.

Articles in the outspoken daily led to the charges, which included backing renewed ties with the United States, Iran’s archfoe, insulting the late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and questioning Islamic doctrines.