Nobel Peace prize-winner and prominent Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi has condemned the ongoing trials of hundreds of people detained following the unrest that followed the country’s contentious June elections. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL’s Golnaz Esfandiari, Ebadi described the trials as “wizardry” and a “parody” of Iranian justice.
In the latest hearing on August 25, about 20 people were put on trial on charges of plotting a “soft coup” and masterminding the postelection unrest. Several of the defendants, including key reformist strategist Saeed Hajjarian, expressed regret for “mistakes.” But Ebadi said confessions and statements made by detainees jailed without access to lawyers have no value.
