The June 12 presidential vote led to the re-election of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Defeated moderate candidates Mir- Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi accused the authorities of rigging the election, prompting tens of thousands of their supporters to protest in Tehran and other major cities.

Moussavi, in an interview posted on his website, Ghalam News, said: 'People are seeking freedom and justice, and their movement has no relation with abroad.'

It was the first time since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution that dozens of former officials and prominent activists have been put on trial together for acting against national security.

At least 20 people were killed during the protests, and over 1,000 political activists and journalists were arrested. Many were subsequently released, but about 250 reportedly remain in detention.