A second hearing went ahead Saturday in the trial in Iran of opposition supporters and foreign embassy staff charged with fomenting a revolution against the country's Islamic system after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election in June, according to dpa. Meanwhile it was reported that former president Akbar Hashemi- Rafsanjani, a key opposition figure, would lead next Friday prayers at Tehran university, leading to speculation of more street protests. More than 100 activists, including several former officials, are among the accused. The hearing focused on employees of the British and French embassies in Tehran and their alleged involvement in spying and post- election demonstrations. Among the defendants was French lecturer Clothilde Reiss, arrested last month on charges of espionage, and Iranian Hossein Rassam, chief political analyst at the British embassy, also accused of spying. The two are also alleged to have been involved in the "illegal" post- election protests and unrest. When the hardline Ahmadinejad was re-elected on June 12, defeated moderate candidates Mir-Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi accused authorities of election-rigging, and tens of thousands of their supporters took to the streets of Tehran and other major cities. The official news agency IRNA reported that the defendants were also charged with having had contacts with foreign countries, exchanged information with Western media and used the internet to undermine Iran's Islamic system. No former officials were seen in television footage from the Revolutionary Court in Tehran where the case was being heard. IRNA quoted Reiss as saying that she had prepared a one-page report on the post-vote protests in Iran and submitted it to the cultural section of the French embassy. The news agency also quoted Rassam as saying that he was ordered by the British embassy to attend the protest demonstrations together with two British diplomats. Rassam expressed regret in court for what he did and asked the court and the Iranian nation for forgiveness, according to IRNA. IRNA quoted a third defendant, Arash Rahmanipour, as saying that he had tried to poison Tehran's water supply system and tested several hand-made bombs for acts of sabotage in the capital. The report said Rahmanipour had links to the British embassy. The Fars news agency meanwhile reported that another defendant, US graduate Reza Rafei-Forushani, admitted at the hearing that he had spied for the secret service of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) via a social networking website. He voiced his regret for having passed on "classified information via Facebook" and asked for forgiveness, according to the report. Although the court has on several occasions mentioned Dubai as a centre for "educating dissidents", it was the first time that the alleged involvement of the secret service of the UAE was mentioned. According to the reformist website Mowj, some family members of the defendants had gathered in front of the court but were dispersed by police. Lawyers for the defendants last week successfully argued for a three-day postponement of the hearing. The opposition decried the first court hearing last Saturday of the post-election detainees as a show-trial which harmed Iran's credibility. Moussavi condemned the trial, saying, "these hectic trials just reflect the deep problem which exists in our country." Paris has several times categorically denied the espionage charges against Reiss, who is a university lecturer in Iran. At the end of last month, she held talks with France's ambassador to Iran. The diplomat later said, 24-year-old assured that she was in good health and being treated well. Britain's Foreign Office Saturday said the trial was an "outrage" and "completely unacceptable". A Foreign Office spokeswoman said Britain's ambassador to Iran was seeking clarification from Tehran. Meanwhile Mehr news agency reported that former president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani - a key opposition figure - would lead Friday prayers next week at Tehran university. His last appearance in the prayer ceremony on July 17 led to widespread election protests in several parts of Tehran. Rafsanjani, who was president from 1989-1997, caused anger within the country's clergy when he said Iran was in a crisis. The moderate cleric called on the government to release all political prisoners as the first step to tackle the crisis. Along with Moussavi and former president Mohammad Khatami, he has not acknowledged Ahmadinejad's re-election and boycotted both the presidential endorsement and swearing-in ceremonies.
