Isa Saharkhiz, an imprisoned Iranian activist, is suing Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) over allegations that the telecommunications company provided the Islamic regime with a monitoring system it used to spy on the opposition Green movement (see Guardian, 24.8.10).

A Maryland law firm has submitted an official complaint to a Federal Court in the state of Virginia alleging that Saharkhiz was tortured and mistreated because of the government’s monitoring of his conversations.

Nokia Siemens Networks stopped providing the Iranian regime with surveillance-related assistance last year and denies any liability, arguing that “When technology is misused, accountability must sit with those who misuse it.”

The Guardian reports that two Chinese companies, ZTE Corporation and Huawei, are now supporting Iran’s spying system.