Iranian Ex-Prosecutor Acquitted Of Murder In Protesters' Deaths

Former Iranian prosecutor Said Mortazavi

A former Iranian prosecutor has been acquitted of murder charges related to the killing of three antigovernment protesters in 2009, Iranian news agencies report.

Reports said Said Mortazavi will spend time in jail and pay a fine for receiving "illegal money" during his time as the head of Iran's Social Security Fund.

Mortazavi, an ally of former hard-line President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, was quoted by the semiofficial news agency ISNA as saying that he has not been officially notified of the court's ruling yet.

Once notified he will have 20 days to appeal.

A 2010 parliamentary probe found Mortazavi responsible for torturing to death three antigovernment protesters who took part in the street protests against Ahmadinejad's disputed 2009 reelection.

During his time as Tehran's prosecutor and before that as a judge, Mortazavi was linked to the closure of scores of reformist publications and the jailing of dozens of journalists.

With reporting by AP