TEHRAN, Nov 7: An Iranian scholar and close ally of President Mohammad Khatami has been sentenced to death for blasphemy after he questioned the right of religious leaders to rule the country, his lawyer said on Thursday.

The verdict against Hashem Aghajari, who lost a leg in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq conflict, is likely to send shock waves through Iran’s reformist movement, many of whom have defended his right to free speech.

“The verdict was handed to his family yesterday (Wednesday),” lawyer Saleh Nikbakht said.

The decision came as the pro-reform Khatami is locked in a fierce struggle to break the stranglehold on power of hardline rivals who control key institutions such as the judiciary, armed forces and mostly non-elected supervisory bodies.

Following a closed trial without jury in the western city of Hamedan, Aghajari was sentenced to 74 lashes, eight years in jail and then execution. He is expected to appeal.

Aghajari, a 45-year-old history lecturer, angered conservatives by delivering a speech on “Islamic Protestantism” in which he compared the earthly powers enjoyed by Iran’s rulers with medieval Catholic Popes.

He said religious leaders should not expect people to blindly follow them. —Reuters