'No seditionists arrested on Tuesday'

TEHRAN,March 3(MNA) -- Asked about the situation in Tehran on Tuesday, Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said, “We did not receive any report about counter-revolutionary and seditious movements yesterday (Tuesday). However, some people intended to disturb the peace,” but were dispersed by the security forces.

“No one was arrested,” he added.

Next session of 3 U.S. citizens’ trial to be held after March 21.

Jafari Dolatabadi also announced that the next session of the trial of three U.S. citizens, who were arrested in Iran in 2009, will be held during Iranian calendar year 1390, which begins on March 21.

Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer, and Joshua Fattal were arrested by border guards on July 31, 2009 after illegally entering Iran’s territory from Iraq’s Kurdistan region. The three have been charged with illegal entry and espionage.

“Sarah Shourd has sent a written defense to the court. And since the judge in the case did not have time to listen to all defenses of the three U.S. defendants, he said another trial session must be held. And the next session of the trial is likely to be held next year,” Jafari Dolatabadi said.

The most recent session of their trial was held on February 6, but Shourd, who was released from prison on bail of $500,000 on September 14, 2010, did not attend the trial and only sent a written defense.

Earlier, Iran had announced that if Shourd did not return to Iran to stand trial, the bail put up for her release would be forfeited.