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The daughter of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, detained in Tehran since the end of September, was sentenced to five years in prison, her lawyer told AFP today.

Former lawmaker and women's rights activist Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani was arrested on September 27 and jailed for calling on people to join the demonstrations that swept across Iran.

"My client was sentenced to five years in prison by the court of first instance," said Faeze Hashemi Rafsanjani's lawyer.

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This is not the first time the former president's daughter has been sentenced.

In late 2012, she was arrested and sentenced to six months in prison for "propaganda" against the Islamic Republic.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was Iran's president from 1989 to 1997. He was a moderate politician who worked to improve Tehran's relations with the West, notes AFP.