Justice turns swiftly in Iran, it seems, as the managing editor of the Iranian newspaper that in May ran a cartoon insulting to the Azeri ethnic minority, has been acquitted:

The state-owned newspaper “Iranâ€? was suspended on May 23 after publishing a cartoon that offended Azeris and led to several days of unrest in the northwestern Azerbaijan province.

“I accept that we were not careful enough in publishing that cartoon but undoubtedly we did not mean to insult our Azeri-speaking compatriots,â€? Gholamhossein Islamifard was quoted as saying by the daily Etemad, when speaking in his defense.

The newspaper reported his acquittal. A judiciary official confirmed the daily’s managing director had been acquitted but gave no further details.


Cartoonist Mana Neyestani is still awaiting trial, and the paper remains banned.