Mr. Ramezanpour fled Iran after being put on trial for the books published under his leadership. In an interview with News and Views, said he was opposed to the verdict again Yaghoub Yadali, the author sentenced to death for writing a book deemed offensive to Islam by the Iranian justice system. Mr. Ramezanpour said he believes that even under tight censorship and oppression, such a ruling is “incredibly bizarre and unexpected.”