Tehran, Dec 14, IRNA -- The Tehran Justice Department has announced that the third hearing of the case against controversial Iran-US pollster Hossein-Ali Qazian will be held in-camera on Tuesday, the press reported here on Saturday.

The Persian-language daily 'Hamshahri' reported that the department in a statement had announced that the Ministry of Information had requested that the court be held in-camera citing security considerations.

Still, the daily recalled earlier remarks by an official from the ministry who had only urged the court not to hold an open session for the fourth clause of the indictment of public prosecutor, with no emphasis for an in-camera hearing.

The Justice Department, however, in the statement quoted the request by the Information Ministry that since several "secret documents" from the ministry have been included in the fourth clause, the court should not hold an open hearing into the charges "so to protect the secrets of the system".

"The judge investigating the case has taken the Information Ministry's written request into consideration, and has used his due authorities to announce that the third hearing of Qazian's case will be held in-camera to investigate the charges included in the fourth clause of the indictment," the department added in the statement.

Qazian and Abdi, both working at the Ayandeh Polling and Research Institute were apprehended last month following an opinion poll they had directed which claimed that two-thirds of citizens in Tehran favored resumption of talks with the US.