Outrage at Iran’s trial of embassy worker

          
          Outage at Iran 's tial of embassy worker- Scotland on Sunday ltp://scotlandonsundayscotsnianconi/irari/Outage-at-Iran39s-tria l-of55
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          Sunday, 11th October 2009
          Outrage at Iran's trial of embassy worker
          Published Date: 09 August 2009
          By Joe Churcher and Tim Moynihan
          A DECISION by the authorities in Tehran to put a senior British embassy worker on trial “brings further
          discredit on the Iranian regime”, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said last night.
          Amid urgent talks between Britain and Iran, Miliband said Hossein Rassam had simply been “going about his
          legitimate duties”.
          The embassy's chief political analyst, who is Iranian, was among defendants in court at the start of a mass
          trial of mdi
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          viduals accused of inciting anti-government unrest following last month's disputed presidential election.
          Miliband said: “I am deeply concerned by the unjustified charges today laid against Hossein Rassam in
          Tehran.
          Iranian action against him, and those against Clotilde Reiss and a member of the staff of the French embassy
          in Tehran only brings further discredit on the Iranian regime.
          “Our ambassador has raised our concerns today with the Iranian deputy foreign minister, and the FCO
          Political Director, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, with the Iranian ambassador in London.”
          Reiss is a French academic and Miliband said European nations were united in their opposition to the move.
          “We are in close contact with our European and other international partners: I have spoken today to French
          foreign minister (Bernard] Kouchner and to Swedish foreign minister (Carl] Bildt in his capacity as EU
          president,” he said.
          “We have reaffirmed our solidarity in the face of this latest Iranian provocation.”
          Rassam was one of nine officials arrested in the wake of the protests against the re-election of president
          Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He was the last to be released — on bail of around £60,000 — and the only one to
          face charges, reported to be of espionage and harming national security.
          Iran has blamed Britain, along with the US and other foreign powers, of stirring dissent and actively fomenting
          the demonstrations, which continue despite brntal crackdowns. A prosecutor told the court the two countries
          were bent on a “soft overthrow”, it was reported.
          Foreign journalists were barred from attending the proceedings in Tehran, but the state-mn Islamic Republic
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          Outage at Iran 's tial of embassy worker- Scotland on Sunday http://scotlandonsundayscotsnianconi/irari/Outage-at-Iran39s-tria l-of55
          News Agency (IRNA) reported what it said was Rassam's testimony. Embassy staff had been ordered to be
          present in the riots, he was said to have told the court, alongside two diplomats named as Tom Bum and Paul
          Blemey.
          The Foreign Office would not confirm that those were the names of diplomats expelled by Iran last month,
          triggering a tit-for-tat retaliation by the UK.
          According to IRNA, Rassam, an Iranian national, told the court a £300,000 budget had been allocated to
          establishing contacts with political groups ahead of the election, including Mir Hossein Mousavi, the
          reformist opposition candidate who claims he was robbed of victory.
          “My main responsibility was to gather information from Tehran and other cities by setting up contacts with
          individuals and influential parties and political groups and to send reports to London,” he was quoted as
          saying. “The British embassy, due to its hostile policies in fran and fear of exposure of its contacts inside
          Iran, employed local staff to establish such contacts. I established such contacts based on orders from
          embassy officials.”
          The Foreign Office said: “This is completely unacceptable and directly contradicts assurances we had been
          given repeatedly by senior Iranian officials. We deplore these trials and the so-called confessions of
          prisoners who have been denied basic human rights.”
          The development will further increase pressure for diplomatic action. At the time of the arrests, there were
          demands for members of the European Union to withdraw their ambassadors from Tehran and for the
          imposition of stronger sanctions.
          Page 1 of 1
          • Last Updated: 08 August 2009 11:02 PM
          • Source: Scotland On Sunday
          • Location: Scotland
          • Related Topics: Traxi
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