Tehran: Iran put on trial on Saturday 16 anti-government protesters, including two women, who were arrested on the Shi’ite mourning day of Ashura, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Five of the defendants are accused of being mohareb (enemies of God) and corrupt on earth, both crimes punishable by death under the Iranian legal system, which is based on Islamic sharia law, IRNA said.
The rest are accused of "gathering and conspiring against security, propaganda against the system and seeking to harm security by inciting unrest and riot," it said.
The trial comes after Iran drew international condemnation by executing two dissidents on Thursday.
Ashura demonstrations on December 27 were the bloodiest showdown in months between anti-government protesters and security forces.
About 1,000 people were arrested and eight killed, including the nephew of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Iran hanged on Thursday Mohammed Reza Ali Zamani, 37, and Arash Rahmanipour, 20, convicted of being enemies of God and plotting to topple the Islamic regime.
The two were convicted in mass trials of opposition supporters in August over protests against hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad`s disputed re-election in June.
PTI
