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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Mass trial resumes as Iran reformists speak out |
| 2009-09-15 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Iran on Monday resumed the mass trial of those arrested during the post election demonstrations amid protests by prominent reformist clerics who opposed the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi and Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri -- once tipped to succeed Islamic republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini -- both spoke out as six protesters went on trial. The official IRNA news agency said those in the dock included student leader Abdollah Momeni, but later reported that the judge ordered media not to name the defendants. Fars news agency then reported remarks made by an accused it referred to only as A.M., a former student activist. "I consider myself to be involved in the events that followed the election," Fars said A.M. told the court. "Prior to the election, we were talking about issues like fraud and were also advocating massively against the officials of the regime. We also staged a rebellion against the regime... the election was just a pretext to hit at the symbol of the regime, the (supreme) leader" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Fars also said A.M. had apologized and asked to be pardoned. Around 140 protesters have already been put on trial for opposing Ahmadinejad's re-election in the June 12 poll, which the opposition alleges was massively rigged. |
| Posted by:Fred |