Six Iran activists in dock as mass trial continues

guardian.co.uk

Six opposition activists stood trial in Tehran today on charges of rioting and plotting to topple the ruling regime. The hearing was the latest session of a mass trial that began on 1 August, involving more than 100 opposition supporters accused over the protests that followed the disputed 12 June presidential election. State television reported that the indictment against today's six defendants focused on "spreading false reports via [the] internet to provoke unrest".

The official IRNA news agency said Abdollah Momeni, a former student leader, pleaded guilty. "I don't consider my political activities defensible. I apologise to the Iranian nation and request Islamic mercy from the court," he was quoted as saying. Momeni reportedly admitted to the court that the protests were an excuse to damage the pillars of the ruling system, promote the idea of fraud in the elections and encourage people to take to the streets against the government.

Iran's reformist and moderate parties have denounced the trials as "disgusting" and a "ridiculous show", and said confessions were obtained under duress. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians marched in days of street protests after the election, denouncing official results that declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner. Thousands were arrested in a heavy crackdown by security forces including the Revolutionary Guard and Basij militia. The opposition says at least 72 protesters were killed, while Iranian officials have maintained 36 died in the post-election turmoil, Iran's worst unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Iranian authorities yesterday released Ali Reza Beheshti, a senior aide to the defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, days after he was detained along with several other pro-reform activists. Beheshti's arrest was part of a crackdown against opposition offices tracking reports of abuse from released protesters. Beheshti is the son of the late Ayatollah Mohammad Hossein Beheshti, a prominent figure in the 1979 revolution and one of the architects of the Islamic Republic. Hasan Khomeini, grandson of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, met Beheshti at his home after his release.