Mandela sides with Iranian court

"It's very disturbing," said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

For "someone of his standing, his comments carry weight in the international community," Hoenlein said. "I don't believe anyone with the full information about the nature of this trial could think it's being conducted fairly."

Mandela, who was the first black president of South Africa, has been a longtime advocate of states such as Iran, Libya and Cuba.

This troika, while pariahs to much of the world and notorious for routinely trampling on the human rights of their own people, lent their support to Mandela and his anti-apartheid struggle during his 27 years in prison.

Shortly after the trial of the 13 began this month, Iranian news agencies quoted Mandela as giving his stamp of approval to the court proceedings.

Mandela was in New York May 14 when he spoke before the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. When members of the audience asked him to clarify his views, Mandela stood by his earlier statements.