HRW blasts Iran's show trials

NEW YORK, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Authorities in Iran should nullify convictions handed down by a special court in Tehran for dissidents accused of inciting unrest, Human Rights Watch said.

Unrest gripped Iran in the wake of the disputed victory for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June elections. The Revolutionary Court in Tehran has since held what some consider show trials for scores of dissenters accused of plotting a soft revolution and inciting violence.

Human Rights Watch reacted to death sentences handed down by the special court, saying convictions without access to fair legal counsel are a mockery of justice.

"Death sentences following unfair trials expose the mockery of Iran's judicial system," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

Human Rights Watch presented a litany of cases that it sees as violating international legal norms, including the case of Iranian-American scholar Kian Tajbakhsh, sentenced Oct. 20 to 12 years in prison for acting against national security.

The rights group points to international conventions ratified by Iran that require adequate representation for persons facing criminal convictions.

"Those responsible need to quash these verdicts and sentences, and ensure that everyone detained, or put on trial, has free and regular access to a lawyer of their choosing," stressed Whitson.