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UK embassy employee in Tehran charged: lawyer

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Hossein Rassam, a chief political analyst working for the British Embassy in Iran, was has been charged with "acting against the national security," his lawyer said Saturday. Rassam was one of nine Iranian employees of the British Embassy arrested last month for his role in the riots following the Iranian election. Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, head of Iran's Guardian Council, announced Friday that some members of the embassy staff would be charged. Eight of the nine prisoners have been released, however, and only Rassam faces charges. Jannati cited as evidence a March report by a website affiliated with the UK Foreign Office warning travelers of potential violence in Iran following June's elections. Rassam lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi said he has not yet been allowed to see his client, but hopes to arrange a meeting with him soon. The post-election protests reportedly resulted in at least 17 deaths and hundreds of arrests. Iranian authorities have said that those arrested would be dealt with by the courts. Human rights groups have characterized the arrests as political repression, saying that Iranian authorities are using the protests to "engage in what appears to be a major purge of reform-oriented individuals."

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on July 04, 2009 (boomark / email).