Iran puts another 28 vote protesters on trial

ON TRIAL: Iranian government puts another 28 protesters on trial. (Getty Images)

Iran staged another mass trial on Sunday for 28 people arrested over the post-election unrest as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled details of his new cabinet, including plans for at least three women ministers.

But opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi vowed to pursue his protests against Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in a new "Green Path of Hope" movement.

The latest court action brings to around 140 the number of people being tried in mass hearings for offences linked to massive demonstrations that erupted after Ahmadinejad's June election victory.

The 27 men and one woman who appeared in court on Sunday were accused of a range of offences including participation in illegal rallies, vandalising public property, "hurting" security forces and "following the line of foreign media," according to an indictment.

There were no well-known political figures among the defendants and in comments reported by local media, several denied the charges against them.

At previous hearings Iran put around 110 people on trial on charges stemming from protests against the June 12 poll, which returned Ahmadinejad to power for another four years amid fraud allegations by the opposition.

Those defendants included top reformists and political activists as well as a young French woman lecturer and two employees of the French and the British embassies.

The court proceedings, which opposition leaders denounced as "show trials", have angered the international community and heightened political tensions as Iran battles its worst crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Ahmadinejad's re-election triggered massive street protests in Tehran and other cities by supporters of his closest rival, the former post-revolution premier Mousavi, and other defeated candidates.

Officials have said at least 30 people were killed in clashes with security forces but the opposition puts the death toll at 69.

About 4,000 people were initially detained over the protests and hundreds are still behind bars, amid opposition allegations that some have been killed, raped and abused in custody.

Iran hardliners have accused foreign powers, especially the United States and Britain, of inciting "riots" - a charge denied by the opposition which insists the protests stem from a homegrown grassroots movement.

Mousavi, who lost to Ahmadinejad by 63 percent of the vote to 34 percent according to official results, has vowed to continue challenging the election outcome in a social movement named the "Green Path of Hope."

Mousavi and other opposition figures charge that the election was massively rigged and have branded Ahmadinejad's government illegitimate, in clear defiance of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"The Green Path of Hope is formed for the sake of people's rightful demands and for claiming their rights," the reformist Etemad Melli newspaper quoted Mousavi as saying at a meeting with members of doctors' Islamic associations.

"The colour green is the symbol of this path and its demand is the complete implementation of the constitution," he said.

"Countless self-initiated and independent social networks form the body of this movement," he said, without specifying.

Mousavi had previously said he would launch a political front to follow up on his protest against the election which has bitterly divided Iran's political and ruling elite.

Ahmadinejad meanwhile announced he plans to appoint at least three women ministers in his new cabinet, including two to the health and social welfare ministries, which he will formally submit to parliament on Wednesday.

It would be the first time in the Islamic republic's history that women are named as cabinet ministers, although they have served as vice presidents for the environment and family affairs.

The president is grappling with disputes with his own hardline camp over a number of recent decisions on political appointments and MPs have warned him they must be consulted on his ministers.

Ahmadinejad also announced his choice for the powerful intelligence ministry, Heydar Moslehi, a cleric who has served as Khamenei's representative to the Islamist Basij militia which had a major role in suppressing protests.

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