Updated on Saturday, July 04, 2009, 18:58 IST

Tehran, July 04: Newsweek journalist Maziar Bahari and a number of reformist leaders in Iran are to face trial accused of "acting against national security," their lawyer Saleh Nikbakht told on Saturday.

"Bahari is accused of acting against national security, and I still have not been able to meet him despite going to the prosecutor's office several times," Nikbakht said.

He is also representing a number of reformist leaders detained in the aftermath of the June 12 presidential election, and said that all of them face the same charge.

Nikbakht said he is also representing former deputy foreign minister Mohsen Amizadeh, ex-government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, former deputy economy minister Mohsen Safai-Farahani and former vice-president Mohammad Ali Abtahi, all of whom served under reformist president Mohammad Khatami.

Behzad Nabavi, former deputy speaker of parliament between 2000 and 2004 when it was reformist-controlled, is another of his clients.

"I was not able to see any of them, and Safai-Farahani and Nabavi have not been able to contact their families either," Nikbakht said.

He did not say when his clients would appear in court.

Bureau Report