Trials of those involved in "peaceful toppling" of Tehran

According to ISNA-17 January, the 25th branch of Tehran's Revolution Court has convicted those involved in "soft toppling" of the regime in Iran to life imprisonment .

The court has not clarified their names and whereabouts or even the prison in which they are being detained. According to a statement released by three Human Rights NGOs; Doctors defending Human Rights, Human Right Watch (Iran), and "International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran: The Alaei brothers are amongst those accused of trying to topple the regime.

According to the Court , these people had been "in contact with US Intelligence", under the pretext of working in governmental and non governmental institutions while being supported by the US Ministry of State and financed by the Senate". According to the accusations, they have been trying to instigate a "soft toppling" and were arrested by Iranian Intelligence.

Prior to this Alireza Jamshidi, spokesman of the Judiciary, had referred to the trial of four members of a network formed for a "soft toppling of Tehran", which was "financed by the US", on 13 January 2009.

He had declared their crimes to be in context with article 508 of the Islamic Penal Code: "Cooperating with Hostile governments to the Islamic Republic", which could result in a ten year prison term for the accused.