An Iranian court has sentenced writer and satirist Kioomars Marzban to 23 years and nine months in prison after convicting him of charges including cooperation with the United States.
His lawyer, Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, told RFE/RL on August 24 that Marzban was convicted of cooperating with a hostile state, spreading propaganda against the system, and insulting sanctities and officials.
Aghasi said he will appeal the ruling, saying his client had done "nothing but write humorous material and publish it in the media."
If the sentences are upheld on appeal, the 28-year-old would have to serve 10 years, his longest sentence.
According to the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign, Marzban left Iran in 2009 and returned eight years later to see his ailing grandmother before being arrested in September last year.