Court targets Iranian expats

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/court-targets-iranian-expats/story-e6frg6nf-1225851589224

IRANIAN community members in Australia have reacted with alarm to news that the government in Tehran plans to set up a special court to prosecute Iranians living abroad for taking part in pro-democracy protests against the regime.

Reports from unofficial Iranian news websites say the special Revolutionary Court, announced this week by the country's Justice Minister, Morteza Bakhtiari, is intended to prosecute Iranian nationals who take part in anti-regime protests in countries such as Australia where pro-democracy movements have flourished since last year's disputed elections and anti-government uprising.

Mehran Rafiei, convenor of Queensland Supporters of Democracy for Iran, said: "This (report of a special court) is a real concern for us. People are scared."

Mr Rafiei told The Australian that in the past two months two Iranian-born Australians had been detained and interrogated about their pro-democracy activities in Australia when they took trips back to Tehran.

They were both shown photographs of protest rallies they attended recently in Brisbane, and one was shown a list of names of democracy campaigners based in the Queensland capital and asked to identify them.