The convicts are two people who cut down 11 15-year-old poplar trees in the city of Maraveh Tappeh, Hashemian said.
Following the lawsuit filed by Natural Resources Organization, the two accused persons in the case were tried in Maravah Tappeh court on charges of environmental degradation and tree felling, and a verdict was issued against them, the official added.
The defendants were sentenced to five months imprisonment, but since they had no criminal record and also expressed remorse in court, the judge suspended the convictions for one year and replaced them with alternative punishment. The convicts are required by the court to plant 200 saplings under the supervision of natural resource experts and to take care of these saplings for up to one year.