Iranian prosecutor calls for maximum punishment of leading reformer

An Iranian prosecutor called on Tuesday for "maximum punishment" of those accused of acting against national security, a crime punishable by death in the Islamic Republic, an official news agency reported.

TEHRAN, IRAN (AUGUST 25, 2009) IRIBB - The fourth trial session was initially scheduled for Wednesday (Aug 19), but was postponed due to a request by lawyers of the defendants.
After the disputed election Tehran and some other Iranian cities became the scene of rallies with some of them turning violent and resulting in the death of at least 30 people.

Those tried in the Revolutionary Court included former Deputy Interior Minister Mostafa Tajzadeh, former Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Aminzadeh, former government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh and Iranian-American scholar Kian Tajbakhsh, Iranian news agencies said.

Analysts regard the trials as an attempt by the authorities to uproot the moderate opposition and put an end to the street protests that erupted after the poll.

Saaed Hajjarian, disabled after an assassination attempt against him in 2000, was among several prominent reformers who were in the dock.

"The prosecutor ... called for maximum punishment for Hajjarian considering the importance of the case," the official IRNA news agency reported from the trial.