Trial of protesters seems only to hurt Iran, analysts say

Cameras record the proceedings at the second hearing of Iranian opposition protesters in Tehran. More than 100 people were paraded before the cameras a week ago, followed by dozens more Saturday.

The televised proceedings fail to silence the opposition or quell protests, and appear to be damaging the international credibility of the Iranian judiciary and political systems, observers say.

By Borzou Daragahi
LA Times
August 9, 2009

Reporting from Beirut — The alleged French spy stood at the lectern Saturday in Tehran and described her dastardly act of collusion.

Clotilde Reiss, a pale, soft-spoken 24-year-old who had been teaching French in the central Iranian city of Esfahan when she was arrested, confessed to sending a single e-mail to a colleague in the capital.

In it, she described the unrest unfolding in Esfahan after taking part in a couple of peaceful protests against the disputed reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"I apologize to the Iranian nation and the court, and hope they will pardon me," the aspiring scholar was quoted as saying, appearing in court after spending five weeks in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison.

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