Iran imprisons a prominent whistleblower

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian state media say a prominent Iranian whistleblower was arrested and sent to prison to serve a 13-month sentence after he was convicted of “spreading lies to disturb the public mind.” The state-run IRNA news agency reported that the Tehran prosecutor summoned Yashar Soltani and sent him to prison. The report also said a court of appeal issued the verdict after 17 plaintiffs appealed the decision by a lower court, but gave no details about the earlier case. In recent years, Soltani has routinely published reports on corruption in public bodies.