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Opposition Skips Out on Ahmadinejad's Swearing In

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a show of reconciliation at the new government's swearing-in ceremony Monday as leading reformist politicians stayed away, signaling their intent to continue protesting an election they allege was tainted by fraud.

Iran Launches Mass Trial of Opposition

A mass trial of about 100 Iranians accused by the government with fomenting a revolution opened in Tehran Saturday and was dismissed as a "politically motivated and illegal indictment" by the pro-reform Islamic Participation Party.

The trial opened after a week in which anti-government protests resumed after a lull in the demonstrations which challenged the June 12 elections, despite harsh crackdowns by authorities.

Iranians on Verge of Seizing New Era

Iran's Islamic revolution three decades ago reached a crucial turning point when a policeman failed to dislodge a man from simply standing at a crossroads in Tehran.

Surrounded by a tense crowd, the policeman could neither beat up the man nor reason with him, according to journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski's book, "Shah of Shahs." Instead, the humiliated officer slinked away. Within hours, news of the incident had spread through Tehran, giving a huge psychological boost to the opposition.

Crude Iran Prisons House Protesters

From the days of the shah, Evin prison has had a fearsome reputation in Iran as the place where political prisoners are taken for rough interrogation and even execution.

But the facility in northern Tehran appears to have been eclipsed since the disputed June 12 presidential election by perhaps dozens of informal detention sites spread throughout the Iranian capital and suburbs.

From the Inside

"In your opinion, were the anti-government demonstrators on the streets Westoxified?"

I never expected to have to answer such a question – much less to have my freedom depend on it. It was my third week in Tehran's Evin Prison and the start of a second round of interrogations. The first wave began after my arrest on June 17 and ended when I signed a confession admitting to the administrative crime of working as a journalist in Iran between 2004 and 2007, when I lived and studied in Tehran.

Why Iran's Conservatives are Airing Their Dirty Laundry

In the final days before President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's inauguration next week, splits among the country's conservative elite have become increasingly conspicuous. Sometimes portrayed as a lackey for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he appears to be jockeying for power and authority – publicly defying Ayatollah Khamenei, sacking his intelligence minister less than a week before his Cabinet would have been dissolved anyway, and angering fellow conservatives by pressing for the broadcast of confessions forced from political prisoners.

Jailed In Iran, A Reporter's Story

Iason Athanasiadis interviewed by Joe Rubin on Frontline/World's iWitness

This is not your expected tale of a three-week stint in an Iranian prison. Photojournalist Iason Athanasiadis-Fowden, who was in Iran covering the recent disputed elections and massive protests that followed, was trying to leave the country ahead of his visa expiring when he was arrested and charged with espionage. He spoke to us over Skype from his parents' home in Greece shortly after being released from prison.

Iason Athanasiadis: It's Important to Tell the Truth

By Sophia A. Niarchos

"I intend to go back to Iran," said Iason Athanasiadis. In his first post-release interview with an American journalist, the British-Greek freelance reporter released from a Teheran prison on July 5 was concerned about the potential impact of his remarks. Although he didn't outright reject the request for an interview, Athanasiadis thought it important to "take it easy" during this transitional period and reflect on the possible ramifications of anything he might say that could prevent his return to a country he has been covering for years.

A Jailbird's Summer Reading List

Jail cells — alongside yoga studios — are the last bastions of true inner peace. When I became the first foreign journalist in decades to be thrown into Iran's notorious Evin Prison I was exposed to a mixture of intense interrogations amid long stretches of nothingness. Stripped of my laptop, cell phone and all human contact, I was forced to confront my ego and get used to spending time with me, myself and I.