Suspended, reduced sentences to Saudi embassy attackers

Iranian state-owned media has published reports that Tehran sentenced protesters accused of attacking Saudi Arabia’s embassy and consulate in response to the execution of a Saudi Shiite preacher earlier this year to up to six months in prison.
Some of the defendants were handed sentences of three or six months in jail for the January attack while others were acquitted, their lawyer Mostafa Shabani was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.
However, Arab News sources confirm that several of the attackers were issued pardons, while others were given sentences, which were suspended. 
The source, which has access to the judiciary in Tehran, said that the secret verdict, which was issued a few days ago, was meant to “only ease international pressure and satisfy global public opinion that Iran actually did something about these attacks.”
“Any informed Iranian would tell you that such protests, attacks on a police-protected building would have never happened without Tehran’s knowledge and blessings,” said the source. He elaborated that “Iran is particularly known for government-backed incidents involving embassies.”
Several of the accused were immune to civilian prosecution and were sent to special Iranian religious courts. 
“The current tension between Riyadh and Tehran played a role in the reduced and suspended terms. Usually, something like this would send you to jail for years, however, this time around the maximum anyone got was up to six months and many of these will be serving their time at home,” the source added.
Early January this year, Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad were attacked by Iranian protesters following the execution of a Saudi Shiite preacher along with 46 other terror convicts.
A few hours before the embassy attack, members of the Basij student militia — connected to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards — demonstrated in front of the Saudi consulate in the northeast Iranian city of Mashhad.
The militia reportedly attempted to set part of the building ablaze, local Iranian news agency website reported at the time.
Accordingly, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran following the attack on its embassy in Tehran.

Source: Arab News