Iran Begins Trying Post-Election 'Rioters'

More Than 100, Including Ex-Officials, Charged with Plotting to Overthrow Gov't; Defendants Reportedly Have No Lawyers, Jury

(AP)  More than 100 opposition political activists and protesters stood trial in Tehran Saturday on charges of rioting and conspiring to topple the ruling system in the country's first trial since the disputed presidential election, Iran's state media reported.

The trial underlines the government's efforts to bring to a close anti-government demonstrations that have persisted since the disputed June 12 presidential election.

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

Iran's opposition maintains Ahmadinejad stole the vote from opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi by engaging in massive fraud, but its demonstrations have been ruthlessly suppressed, leaving hundreds in prison.

The defendants faced charges that include attacking military and government buildings, having links with armed opposition groups and conspiring against the ruling system, Iran's official news agency, IRNA, reported.

During the session, prosecutors read out an indictment outlining what they said was a years-long plot by the top pro-reform political parties to carry out a "velvet revolution," a popular, non-violent uprising to overthrow the Islamic Republic similar to ones that have occurred in Eastern Europe.

The phrase comes from the peaceful 1989 Velvet Revolution that overthrew decades of communism in Czechoslovakia.

The prosecutor said three of the biggest opposition parties had taken money from foreign non-governmental organizations and had sought to use the election controversy as an opportunity to carry out their plot, according to a transcript reported by IRNA. He claimed Israeli and Western officials have spoken in recent years of fomenting revolution in Iran.

"Based on the evidence obtained and well-founded confessions of the defendants, these events had been planned in advance and stages of the velvet revolution were carried out in accordance with a time schedule," the 15-page text of the indictment said.

IRNA did not give information about how many defendants were in court, but the semiofficial Fars news agency said more than 100 defendants were present.

Among the defendants were several prominent reformist opposition activists, including former Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi, former government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, former Vice Speaker of parliament Behzad Nabavi, former Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Aminzadeh and leader of the biggest reformist party, the Islamic Iran Participation Front, Mohsen Mirdamadi.

The reformist Web site Green Freedom Wave (www.mowjcamp.com) denounced Saturday's trial and said defendants had no access to lawyers and there was no jury.

"Do those who organized this show trial today think that the nation will remain silent to slaughter the nation's best?

Pictures from the courtroom showed a thin-looking Abtahi and a grim Mirdamadi, both in prison uniforms, sitting in the front row. More than a hundred defendants could be seen sitting in the packed courtroom, many of them handcuffed but without prison uniforms.

A reformist lawyer, Mohammad Reza Tabesh, quoted Abtahi's wife as saying that the former vice president had lost 40 pounds, or 18 kilograms, of weight after 43 days in custody.

There was no information on when the trial would end or when a verdict could be expected.

(Left: Iranian police fired tear gas and beat anti-government protesters with batons to disperse thousands at a graveside memorial Thursday for victims of post-election violence.)

The post-election protests have marked the biggest challenge to the cleric-led regime's power since the 1979 revolution.

Ahmadinejad on Friday sought shelter from his top supporter, the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declaring that Khamenei is like a father to him. Ahmadinejad accused his hard-line rivals of trying to drive a wedge between him and the man who sits at the top of Iran's clerical leadership and who has final say in all state matters.

On Monday, Khamenei will lead a ceremony formally approving Ahmadinejad's second term, and two days later Ahmadinejad is to be sworn in before parliament. But recently Ahmadinejad has been beset not just by protesters attacking the election's legitimacy but also by rivals within his own hard-line camp.

Meanwhile, the anti-regime protests have continued with thousands of protesters holding a memorial at a Tehran cemetery on Thursday to commemorate those killed in the crackdown. Police fired tear gas and beat protesters with batons, but the march continued, as protesters chanted Mousavi's name.

Protesters then streamed back into central Tehran - some chanting on the subway, "Traitor Mahmoud, we want you to become homeless" - and again clashed with security forces.

[zonkzilla]

"Until we, as a race, learn to govern without religion, problems like this will continue."

Joseph Stalin, is that you? Mao? Marx?
50 million Russians murdered by an religion hating atheist in less than 50 years.
Over 100 million people have been murdered by atheist regimes in the past 100 years alone.
Compare communist Russia ( USSR ) to the now Christian Russia then get back with me.

[zonkzilla]

"This is the kind of government you get when you join church and state."

You mean like England and the "Church of England"? Yea, I thought so.
Iran is not about religion, it is about arrogant power hungry dictators who happen to hide behind religion.
The protesters are of the same religion as the dictators and Iran had a national religion before the dictators took power so that blows your point.
Try again.

[cs4466]

Iran's government is offensive.
Islam is offensive.
All religion is offensive.

Until we, as a race, learn to govern without religion, problems like this will continue.

[lars008-2009]

interesting,,, has islam banned slavery of non-muslims yet???

[pvperson3]

"gordonshummway", you sound as un-American as any I've ever heard, do you ever pull your head out of your butt long enough to know what's going on in the world or do you just trust you impaired judgment on things?

[zonkzilla]

"If Obama continues to use the government to take Americans freedoms and rights, we may see this happen in America."

When someone has no sense of reality and confuses Obama with Bush, most people call that insanity.

[zonkzilla]

Iran is more fair than the US. At least the protestors are getting a trial even if it is a bogus trial. The US illegally kidnaps people from all over the world and holds them in a concentration camp for years without a trial or an attorney which violates international laws going back over 100 years.
And we criticize the Iranians?
No wonder the world doesn't trust the US we sure are full of it.

[tmittelstaed]

"...At least the protestors are getting a trial even if it is a bogus trial...holds them in a concentration camp for years..."

What's the difference between no trial and a bogus trial?

[speakinup22]

Gotta wonder if Barry is still watching. Or, did he just get bored and vote present then tune out like a good liberal.

[speakinup22]

formrusmcsgt sounds like a terrorist sympathizer if ever I heard of one.

[curiously1]

We saw how fair and just their election was. Can you imagine how pathetic the trials are gonna be?!

[formrusmcsgt]

About as fair as the tribunals dubya had planned for the detainees at Gitmo, no doubt.

[speakinup22]

formrusmcsgt - I guess you would know, as your buddies have complained so much when released, huh ?

Former Marine Corps Sgt my rear end. Liar.

[SouthwestisBest]

I agree, Speakinup22, this guy was no more a Marine than I was. Most likely never served a day in his life.

[formrusmcsgt]

The reformist Web site Green Freedom Wave (www.mowjcamp.com) denounced Saturday's trial and said defendants had no access to lawyers and there was no jury.
---
Looks like the ayatollah took dubya's Gitmo playbook and put it to good use......

[speakinup22]

One small difference, sarge. We used it against them as enemy combantants, they used it against their lawfully protesting citizens...

Somehow, I don't believe you caught that distiction until now. The moment good men let people like this go on with their way, we have all lost our freedoms.

[bigreddog222]

Gee it sounds like they will get a fair trial and first class accomodations. About as fair as that election. Ahmadinejad is whack-job. The people need to have a revolution send that numb nut packing. Though he is only a small part of the problem. He is merely a puppet with his masters pulling his strings.

[BeckieBest]

This is the kind of government you get when you join church and state.

[the_majesty]

If Obama continues to use the government to take Americans freedoms and rights, we may see this happen in America.

[BeckieBest]

Willy

Read about the history of church and state in Europe. Same exact thing as we see now with Islam.