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10:00GMT—6:00AM/EST

Washington, 27 August (WashingtonTV)—The United States on Wednesday reiterated a call for the release of an Iranian-American scholar on trial in Tehran, saying the charges against him are baseless.

Kian Tajbakhsh, a dual citizen, is among the more than 120 people being tried on charges related to the unrest following Iran’s disputed presidential election in June.

US State Department spokesperson, Ian Kelly, asserted that Tajbakhsh is innocent, and said that “the world is watching” the proceedings, which have been widely described outside Iran as “show trials”.

“He has not been given a lawyer. We believe the charges that he’s facing are without foundation. And we, of course, have consistently called for his release,” Kelly told reporters.

Kelly stressed that Tajbaksh’s work in Iran was solely academic in nature, and that he had devoted his life to promoting understanding between Iranians and Americans.

“Mr. Tajbakhsh … poses absolutely no threat to the Iranian Government or to its national security. He played absolutely no role in the election,” said the spokesperson.

Tajbakhsh, a social scientist and urban planner, was arrested at his home in Tehran on 9 July.

The 47-year-old spent four months in an Iranian prison in 2007, charged with three other Iranian-Americans of endangering... >>>