Iran - post-election trials

Reformists on trial over election protests

Article published on the 2009-08-25 Latest update 2009-08-25 08:33 TU

Journalists sit in the offices of the Etemad-e Melli newspaper, owned by leading pro-reform cleric Mehdi Karoubi, in Tehran on 17 August, 2009. Its editor Mohammad Ghoochani is reported to have appeared in court on Tuesday.
(Photo: Reuters)

Several aides of former president Mohammad Khatami were among a number of people put on trial in Iran on Tuesday in connection with post-election unrest, according to local media.

"The fourth session of the revolutionary court dealing with masterminds of the recent incidents has begun," the Fars news agency said.

Iranian media reported that those in court included Khatami aides such as former deputy interior minister Mostafa Tajzadeh, former deputy foreign minister Mohsen Aminzadeh, ex-deputy economy minister Mohsen Safaei-Farahani and reformist activists Mohsen Mirdamadi and Abdollah Ramezanzadeh.

Behzad Nabavi, a former minister in the government of Ahmadinejad's main election rival Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Iranian-American scholar Kian Tajbakhsh were also on trial.

Saeed Leylaz, a reformist journalist, and Mohammad Ghoochani, editor of Etemad Melli, a newspaper owned by defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi, were also in the dock.

According to the state broadcaster, the prosecution charged that some political groups "with the cooperation of western media and colonial embassies disrupted the situation and misused the supporters of defeated candidates to launch a soft coup d'etat."

Around 140 people have already appeared in court on offences linked to the mass demonstrations and violence that followed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed election victory on 12 June.