Head of banned Iran daily acquitted over cartoon

The state-owned newspaper "Iran" 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," 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.

It was not immediately clear what impact the verdict would have on the fate of the newspaper.

The cartoonist Mana Neyestani is still awaiting trial, along with another Iran newspaper journalist.

The daily Sharq newspaper said Islamifard had been charged with creating division among sects of society and insulting the Azeri-speaking people.

The cartoon that caused the stir showed a boy repeating the Persian word for cockroach in different ways while the uncomprehending bug says "What?" in Azeri.

The Azeris of northwestern Iran speak a language related to Turkish. Although Azeris have many luminaries among Iran's commercial elite, Iran's majority Persians often mock them in their jokes.

Azeris account for about 25 percent of the overall population of the Islamic Republic.

/Reuters/