A former Iranian president and a former prime minister are sharply criticizing the trials of people detained in the nation's post-election unrest, saying the detainees' confessions are invalid.
Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami, who now heads one of the largest reform parties in the country, says the mass trial that opened Saturday is unconstitutional.
Mr. Khatami called the judicial proceedings a "show" trial, and he lashed out at the court's tactics Sunday.He said prosecutors are relying on confessions that were illegally obtained.
Defeated presidential candidate and one-time prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi says the detainees were tortured into confessing. Iran put another 10 post-election detainees on trial Sunday, one day after beginning a mass trial for detained activists, politicians and protesters arrested after the June 12 presidential election.
In the courtroom Saturday, prosecutors accused more than 100 Iranian detainees of organizing massive demonstrations and plotting to overthrow the government of Iran.