Hessamoddin Ashena, an adviser to President Hassan Rouhani, was convicted in court on Sunday, November 22 in connection with two “political” tweets. The politician and former Intelligence Ministry official is one of three defendants in a case being heard by members of Iran’s newly-formed Press and Political Crimes Jury.

The case against Ashena related to his Twitter comments to Iranian journalists working for foreign media. One appears to be in relation to the downing of the Ukrainian passenger jet, flight PS752, by two Revolutionary Guards missiles in January. “Warning,” Ashena had written in the aftermath of the disaster. “Iranian-born agents of Persian-language media outlets are warned to refrain from participating in psychological warfare related to the Ukrainian plane, and from cooperating with anti-Iranian enemies."

The tweet sparked outrage on social media, with both the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders publicly condemning the words of the Iranian president’s top advisor. The CPJ held it up as an example of the “ugly censorship” imposed on journalists in Iran, adding: “Iranian authorities must stop targeting the media and allow journalists to freely cover news that affects the lives of Iranian citizens."

So intense was the backlash that Ashena felt forced to clarify his statement, writing: “Make no mistake, a warning is not a threat. It is an attempt to awaken consciences so that you remain Iranian and defend the people of your country, and the truth, in this media war. Do not upset the families more. Do not take part in the anti-Iranian psychological counter-attack following the initial slap."

Ashena was subsequently charged with “spreading lies”. The plaintiffs against him were  the attorney-general’s deputy director of cyberspace, and the head of the Culture and Media Court.

Though the basis for the charge has not officially been made known, Ashena himself took to Twitter the day before the trial to claim he was in fact being prosecuted over two tweets: one about the PS752 disaster, and another about the ongoing trial of Akbar Tabari, former deputy head of the judiciary, on corruption charges.

The case was heard in Branch 9 of Tehran Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Mohammadi Kashkouli and in the presence of the Press and Political Crimes Jury. Jury spokesman Ahmad Momenirad said Ashena had been unanimously found guilty, but by a majority vote, his sentence would be commuted.

Hesammodin Ashena has a previous record of commenting on media matters on Twitter. He appears to take a softer stance toward conservative journalists, protesting last September against the imprisonment of young newspaper reporter Hossein Ghadyani and filmmaker-historian Hossein Dehbashi – “even though their words are indecent and inappropriate”. In this tweet, Ashena went so far as to address the judiciary directly: “Answer the media. The law requires them to publish."

In the end, the presidential advisor’s outspoken comments on journalism have seen him brought before the courts too. But unlike countless journalists, activists, lawyers, writers and dissidents who have been prosecuted for “political” crimes in the Islamic Republic of Iran over the years, he was actually afforded access to a jury trial, in accordance with the law.

Last month Alireza Zakani, an MP for Qom, became the first ever person to be tried by jury for a “political” offence – despite the fact that this has been a requirement in Iran’s constitution since 1979, and since a legislative change defining “political” crimes was finally enacted in 2016. He too was accused of “spreading lies”, and was unanimously acquitted.