Iran’s Supreme Leader warned government supporters on Sunday against accusing Opposition members of wrongdoing without proof, an indication that the Islamic government may be easing up on critics of the June presidential election.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said while a suspect’s own confession was admissible, his testimony or accusations could not be used to implicate others in the unrest following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election.

“We do not have the right to accuse without any proof,” Khamenei said in a speech marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in which he urged the judiciary and security forces to pursue offenders within the bounds of the law. The speech was carried live on Iran’s state radio and television. “What a suspect says in court against a third party has no legitimate validity,” Khamenei said.

Khamenei did not single out individuals, but his remarks appeared to refer to testimony by some detainees who claim former President Hashemi Rafsanjani and other reformists supported Opposition leader Mir Hussein Moussavi in the June 12 vote to weaken Khamenei.

Reformists claim that widespread fraud handed incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a win over Moussavi. Since the election, Khamenei has at times signalled that the government may ease up on critics. His speech on the start of Eid al-Fitr appeared to be another push to reduce tensions.

Rafsanjani — who has been absent from several recent official ceremonies, including a Friday prayer led by the supreme leader earlier in September — was seen sitting in the first row of worshippers during the prayer ceremony at which Khamenei spoke. Khamenei’s comments could signal a change in the direction of the ongoing court cases against protesters.

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