November 11, 2001
Reformist Groups On Trial In Iran
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 3:02 p.m. ET
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Thirty-one members of an outlawed reformist group went on trial Sunday in closed-door proceedings that could set up another clash between conservatives and moderate President Mohammad Khatami.
Khatami, who has recently challenged the expansive powers of the hard-line judiciary, has called the non-jury trial for the Freedom Movement backers unconstitutional.
Members of the group, including a former government minister, are accused of threatening national security and seeking to topple the Islamic establishment. Conviction by the Revolutionary Court could bring death sentences.
The movement has called for peaceful action on political and social fronts to hasten changes such as an open media and more accountability from authorities.
The group's leader, Ebrahim Yazdi, is currently in Houston for medical treatment. He issued a statement vowing to return to Iran to wage a defense if the trial is held in public.
Thirty-one defendants appeared Sunday in the court, which deals with political and security cases, a judicial statement said. Journalists and the public were barred from the court.
A total of 42 Freedom Movement members were arrested in police sweeps before the June presidential elections, won by Khatami in a landslide. Those jailed included Hashem
Sabbaqian, who served in the provisional government formed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The conservative theocracy, which controls the judiciary and security forces, banned the Freedom Movement during a period of widespread pressure against reforms backed by Khatami. The crackdown muzzled dozens of publications and left hundreds of people behind bars.
The Freedom Movement trial threatens to further polarize the nation at a sensitive time. In recent weeks, crowds have taken to the streets following soccer matches and some demonstrators have openly opposed the hard-line clerics' grip on power.
In April, Khatami called the waves of Freedom Movement arrests ``not in the interest of the political system and the people.''
The largest pro-Khatami group demanded an open trial and called the charges ``baseless.''
``They deserve the rights of any political defendant, including an open court so people in Iran can judge for themselves,'' said a statement from the Islamic Iran Participation Front published in newspapers Sunday. ``Otherwise, public opinion would have no choice than to acquit them and condemn those who created this case.''
The trial resumes Monday and is expected to last for weeks.
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