TEHRAN: Iran Saturday freed two German journalists arrested four months ago after they interviewed the son of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. An Iranian court threw out their 20-month prison sentence Saturday, commuting it to a fine of $50,000 each and clearing the way for their release, state media reports said. It was not clear when they might try to leave Iran. The Germans — a reporter and a photographer for the mass-circulation tabloid Bild am Sonntag — got caught up in one of the many confrontations between Iran and the West, this one over the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. The mother of two has been convicted of adultery and sentenced to death by stoning. Marcus Hellwig and Jens Koch were detained in October after interviewing Ashtiani's son in the northwestern city of Tabriz. Ultimately, they were found guilty of committing acts against Iran's national security. No rallies, warns Tehran Iran warned of a crackdown Saturday if opposition supporters stage new rallies which they have called to mourn the deaths of two victims of recent unrest and to show support to their leaders. Websites of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have posted calls by their supporters to stage nationwide rallies on Sunday. “We will confront them per the law,” Iran's Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar was quoted as saying on state news agency IRNA. Calls were posted for Sunday gatherings to mourn the deaths of Sane'e Zhale, a Sunni Kurd, and Mohammad Mokhtari, a Shiite, who were slain Monday in clashes with security forces.
