Iran Adjourns Espionage Trial of 13 Jews; Defense Seeks More Time
The trial of 13 Iranian Jews accused of spying for Israel and the U.S. adjourned quickly after it began Thursday, with defense attorneys saying that they need more time. A senior judicial official said later that four of the 13 had confessed.
Concern over the trial brought Western diplomats, foreign journalists and a human rights activist to the courthouse in Shiraz, about 420 miles south of Tehran. The U.S. and Israel say charges that the Jews spied for the two countries are baseless.
The trial is closed to the public for national security reasons, authorities say.
Shortly after the court session was adjourned until May 1, provincial judiciary chief Hossein Ali Amiri said that four of the defendants had confessed to espionage and that Judge Sadeq Nourani had ruled the confessions admissible. Amiri did not say when the confessions--reported in the Iranian media last fall--were made.
Defense lawyer Esmail Naseri said the alleged confessions were “irrelevant” and inadmissible because they had not been made in the presence of defense counsel.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
