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Some of the defendants
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Iran resumes mass trial of activists, protesters

Tehran Revolutionary Court readies to hear charges against dozens of opposition activists and protesters arrested in Islamic Republic post-presidential election riots. Defendants accused of rioting, plotting to topple regime

Dozens of opposition activists and protesters stood trial in Tehran Saturday on charges of rioting and plotting to topple the ruling Islamic system following the disputed presidential election, Iran's state media reported.

 

The mass trial in Tehran's hard-line Revolutionary Court demonstrates the government's resolve to discredit the reform movement in one blow and bring an end to anti-government protests that have persisted since the June 12 election.

 

This is the second day of an extraordinary mass trial that started a week ago, although those standing trial Saturday were not the same defendants who attended the court last week. Saturday's session saw new faces including several prominent reformist politicians as well a 23-year old French academic arrested in July.

 

During the session, a prosecutor read out an indictment outlining what he said was plans by the US and Britain to foment unrest in Iran with the aim of toppling the ruling Islamic system through a "soft overthrow", the official IRNA news agency reported.

 

The vague indictment also accused the two powers of providing financial assistance to Iran's reformists to undermine hard-line clerics within the ruling system.

 

Iran has tried to portray the protests following the June 12 election as being led and encouraged by foreign powers, not fueled by internal dissent.

 

Among those standing trial is Clotilde Reiss, a 23-year-old French woman who was reportedly arrested at Tehran airport on July 1. Senior European Union diplomats have called on Iran to immediately release the French woman lecturer jailed on charges of spying linked to riots over last month's presidential election.


Protests in Tehran (Photo: Farhad Rajabali)  

 

During the trial, Reiss pleaded for clemency from the clerical leadership, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

 

"I should not have taken part in illegal protests (over Iran's June presidential vote) ... I regret my activities and I apologise to the Iranian nation and the court. I hope they will pardon me," Fars quoted Reiss as saying in the court. 

 

During Saturday's session, Hossein Rassam, a political analyst at the British Embassy arrested shortly after the start of the unrest, told the court that Britain was involved in fomenting the unrest, according the IRNA news agency.

 

He said a budget of 300,000 pounds - or about $500,000 - had been allocated to establish contacts with Iranian political groups, influential individuals and activists, IRNA reported.

 

The news agency quoted him as saying that he personally established contacts before the election with the campaign headquarters of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the pro-reform candidate who says he was robbed of victory. Rassam has been charged with espionage and "acting against national security," IRNA reported.

 

In London, Britain's Foreign Office called his appeared unacceptable and said it contradicted assurances it had been given by senior Iranian officials. "We deplore these trials and the so-called confessions of prisoners who have been denied their basic human rights," a Foreign Office statement said.

 

Britain's ambassador to Tehran was seeking clarification from Iranian authorities. "We will then decide on how to respond to this latest outrage," the statement said.

 

Eight other British Embassy staffers arrested along with Rassam were released after about a week in custody.

 

Iranian defendants included Ali Tajernia, a former reformist lawmaker, Shahaboddin Tabatabaei, a prominent leader of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, Iran's largest reformist political party and Ahmad Zeidabadi, an outspoken journalist opposing hard-liners.

 

Iran's reformist and moderate parties have denounced the mass trial, describing is a "ridiculous show", saying the confessions were obtained from the defendants under duress.

 

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians marched in days of street protests after the election, denouncing official results that declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner.

 

Reuters contributed to this report

 


פרסום ראשון: 08.08.09, 12:07
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