Azerbaijan Cuts Jail Time For Iran TV Reporter

Sahar TV correspondent Anar Bayramli (left) had a year cut from his sentence.

BAKU -- A court in Azerbaijan has reduced the jail sentence against the local correspondent of an Iranian television channel.

Anar Bayramli, an Azerbaijani citizen who works for Iran's Sahar TV, was detained in February for allegedly possessing about half a gram of heroin.

He was sentenced to two years in jail in June.

Bayramli's lawyer, Anar Qasimli, told RFE/RL that his client's jail term was cut to one year.

Azerbaijani officials have accused Sahar TV of broadcasting Iranian propaganda into neighboring Azerbaijan.

Tensions between Tehran and Baku have escalated in recent months, after Azerbaijani authorities arrested a number of men with alleged links to Iran who were reportedly plotting attacks in Azerbaijan.

Relations have also been strained recently over reported closer ties between Azerbaijan and Iran's rival, Israel.

With reporting by Interfax