BERLIN, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Germany has blasted the trial against 100 opposition members in Iran and has called on Tehran to release the prisoners.
"The news about the beginning of the trial of members of the opposition in Iran deeply concerns us," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement Sunday.
He added that Berlin had reasons to doubt that said trials are indeed transparent and fair.
"The Iranian government is called on to release the political prisoners and respect international standards, to which it has agreed, for the protection of civil and political rights of its citizens," Steinmeier said.
A trial for more than 100 people arrested for their involvement in post-election demonstrations in Iran started this weekend. Tehran has charged them with rioting, vandalism, compromising national security and conspiracy against the government, according to Iran's state media. The defendants include prominent opposition figures, including former Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi, as well as former ministers and a former government spokesman.
The Iranian opposition has blasted what it calls a "show trial," and Steinmeier is one of the first European leaders to speak out against the proceedings.
Iran still needs to come to terms with its disputed June 12 presidential elections. The official result saw incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad win another term, but this was contested by the opposition, who says the vote was rigged.
In the riots that ensued, at least 20 demonstrators were killed and several hundred arrested -- the worst civil unrest in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Europe harshly condemned the regime's violent crackdown of the demonstrations, with Steinmeier reminding the West that many people remain in prison.
"The exact number of political prisoners in prison who were arrested after the disputed presidential election on June 12 is unknown but their number is estimated at several hundred," the German Foreign Ministry said on the Web site with Steinmeier's statement. "In addition, there are the several political prisoners who were already arrested in recent years."
Not everyone in Germany seems to sympathize with the protesters, however.
A German company with a large presence in Iran came under fire for telling its workers in Iran that they would be fired for participating in anti-government demonstrations.
On July 21, Knauf Gips, a construction materials company, sent out a letter to its three subsidiaries in Iran, stating that if anyone employed by Knauf "gets caught demonstrating against the current government, he or she will be immediately dismissed."
The company has since been harshly criticized by Iranian expatriates and the German media, with Germany's Foreign Ministry also condemning the move.
The Wall Street Journal reports that pressure from Tehran resulted in the letter: According to the newspaper, a senior Knauf manager had been arrested during demonstrations, and was released only in exchange for said threat. Knauf has since withdrawn and apologized for the letter, calling its wording "unfortunate."
