Paris calls for ‘immediate release’ of French lecturer on trial

          
          Paris calls fbr ‘in'niedlate release' of French lecturer on trial http://wwwfraire24coni/en'print/4792220?prlnt=ncw
          INTERNATIONAL
          NEWS
          24/7
          Published on France 24 ( http://www.france24.com/en )
          Home> Paris calls for ‘immediate release' of French lecturer on trial
          Paris calls for ‘immediate release' of French
          lecturer on trial
          By mchebil
          created 08/08/2009 - 12:38
          France has dernanded the “irnrnediate release” of French lecturer Clotilde Reiss and French
          ernbassy ernployee Nazak Afshar, who are standing trial in Tehran with others detained during
          protests over Mahrnoud Ahrnad inej ad's re-election.
          AFP - France has dernanded the “irnrnediate release” of French lecturer Clotilde Reiss and
          French ernbassy ernployee Nazak Afshar, who were standing trial in Tehran Saturday with
          others detained during protests over Mahrnoud Ahrnadinejad's re-election.
          Clotilde Reiss, who turned 24 in Teh ran's notorious Evin prison on July 31, was arrested on July
          I as she tried to fly horne.
          Flanked by a policewornan on Saturday, she wore blue jeans, a dark coat and a colourful
          head scarf as she sat in the front row of defendants.
          “She is accused of collecting inforrnation and provoking rioters,” the official IRNA news agency
          reported. Fellow defendant Nazak Afshar, frorn the French ernbassy's cultural section, was
          detained on Thursday.
          Iran's state television said both played an “active role in the unrest by giving inforrnation to
          foreign ernbassies.”
          IRNA said Reiss had reported on post-election protests in the central city of Isfahan to the
          French ernbassy.
          “I have written a one-page report and subrnitted it to... the cultural departrnent of the French
          ernbassy,” it quoted her as telling the judge.
          “I was planning to leave Iran, but I took part in rallies of June 15 and 17 in Tehran and took
          photographs and filrn. I did this out of curiosity and to be aware of the political situation. I
          wanted to know of what was happening.”
          Reiss denied preparing a technical report on Iran's controversial nuclear prograrnrne.
          1 of 3
          11/19/2009 2:20 PM
        

          
          Paris calls for ‘immediate release' of French lecturer on trial http : //www .frar e24. com/en/print14792220'?printnow
          Afshar told the court that she and other staffers had been told to shelter protesters if required,
          IRNA said.
          “In the event that confrontations occurred in front of the cultural department of the embassy, we
          were told to offer refuge to protesters if they asked.”
          Also in the dock was British embassy local staffer Hossein Rassam who was detained during the
          post-vote violence in Tehran along with eight embassy colleagues. They were later freed, while
          he was released on bail.
          IRNA said he has been accused of spying.
          “Based on the order of British embassy, the local staff were asked to be present in the riots
          along with Tom Burn and Paul Blemey (eds: spellings as transliterated from Persian),” Rassam
          said of two British diplomats expelled by Iran in June.
          “You along with Arash Momenian were given the duty of meeting representatives of political
          groups, ethnic and religious minorities, and student groups and to relay the news of Iran's riots
          to London,” IRNA quoted the prosecutor as telling the court.
          The judge said the allegation merited a charge of espionage.
          “Based on the charges read out by the Tehran prosecution, you are accused of spying for
          foreigners,” the judge was quoted as saying by IRNA, which identified him by only the single
          name Salavati.
          Rassam was quoted as telling the court: “The victory of Mr. Ahmadinejad was shocking for the
          British embassy, and in our first report to London we stressed claims made by one candidate
          about fraud” in the election.
          He told the court that British diplomats, including the two expelled later, had attended protests
          in Tehran and that “the ambassador along with the charge d'affaires took part in witnessing a
          rally of Mousavi supporters.”
          In London, a Foreign Office spokeswoman slammed Rassam's trial.
          “We deplore these trials and the so-called confessions of prisoners who have been denied their
          basic human rights,” she said.
          “Our ambassador in Tehran has demanded early clarification of the position from the Iranian
          authorities. We will then decide on how to respond to this latest outrage.”
          In France, Reiss's father Remi was taken unawares by her appearance in court. “I had not been
          told. I was surprised to see her appear at this trial,” he said, adding that he believes she is
          innocent.
          More than 10 other defendants detained during the protests that followed Ahmadinejad's hotly
          disputed June 12 re-election were in court with Reiss and the two embassy staffers.
          It was the second hearing in the trial of a number of key reformist politicians and journalists, the
          ISNA news agency said.
          Some 100 defendants were charged with various offences, including rioting, at the first hearing
          2 of 3 11/19/2009 2:20 PM
        

          
          Paris calls for ‘immediate release' of French lecturer on trial http : //www .frar e24. com/en/print14792220'?print=now
          on August 1. Reiss and the two embassy staffers were not present in court then.
          At that hearing, several accused withdrew earlier allegations of fraud in the presidential election,
          saying that Ahmad inej ad's victory was clean.
          Another 10 protesters were put in the dock in a separate trial on Sunday.
          Both Ahmadinejad's main challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi and reformist former president
          Moham mad Khatami have denounced the trials.
          ASIA-PACIFIC Clotilde Reiss trial FRANCE 24 (with wires ) fran Iranian elections
          protests trial
          Source URL: htti://www . france24.comIenI2009O8O8-french-iran-democracy-embassy-diilomacy-court-trial
          3 of 3 11/19/2009 2:20 PM