Tehran - A spokesman of the Iranian judiciary confirmed Tuesday that seven members of the Bahai religion would soon face trial on charges of espionage, the ISNA news agency reported.

They were charged with "espionage for aliens" and would face trial next week, Ali-Reza Jamshidi said.

Iran's chief prosecutor, Qorban Ali Dorri Najafabadi, on Sunday accused the Bahais of having exchanged information with Israel, adding that there were documents to prove the charges.

Unlike Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism, Bahaism is not recognized or allowed to be practiced in Iran. It is a monotheistic religion that emphasizes the spiritual unity of the major world religions and mankind.

Several Western countries have expressed concern over the charges and called the arrests religious persecution.

The spokesman rejected those allegations and said the issue had nothing to do with religion, stressing that the defendants could have attorneys at the trial.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi and her legal team are reportedly leading the defence for the Bahais, who are also charged with having made propaganda against the Islamic system in Iran and insulting religious sanctities.

Ebadi herself was involved last year in a a smear campaign against her daughter by the official news agency IRNA, which had quoted an unnamed source as saying the daughter had converted to the Bahai religion.

Religious conversion in Iran, especially to the Bahai faith, is regarded not only as a serious sin but also a capital crime, and offenders, in line with Islamic laws, could face the death sentence.

Ebadi at that time told the local press that she and her daughter were proud to be Shiite Moslems and that defending Bahais in court had nothing to do with their religious faith.

The news agency Fars reported that Ebadi's former secretary, herself a Bahai, was also detained for links with a Bahai group. (dpa)