Writer sentenced to 5 years in prison

Tehran: The lawyer for an Iranian novelist says his client has been sentenced to five years in prison for supporting anti-government demonstrations.

Yousuf Azizi is a member of Iran's ethnic Arab minority and has written novels as well as non-fiction books.

His lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, says an Iranian court found Azizi guilty yesterday of "supporting unrest" during two days of protests in 2005.

The rallies took place in oil-rich Khuzestan province, where most of Iran's minority Arabs live.

Azizi remains free on bail, pending an appeal.

Arabs make up about 3 per cent of Iran's 70 million people.