( CNN ) -- Nokia Siemens Networks said Friday it rejects a lawsuit filed in a U.S. court by a jailed Iranian journalist and his son , who have accused the European telecommunications company of providing the Iranian government the tools to spy on its own citizens . `` The Saharkhiz lawsuit is brought in the wrong place , against the wrong party and on the wrong premise , '' the company announced in a statement e-mailed to CNN . `` The Saharkhizes allege brutal treatment by the government in Iran , but they have not sued that government . Instead , they are seeking to blame Nokia Siemens Networks for the acts of the Iranian authorities by filing a lawsuit in the U.S. , a country that has absolutely no connection to the issue they are raising . '' Earlier this week , New Jersey-based Iranian blogger Mehdi Saharkhiz filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court against Nokia Siemens Networks on behalf of his father , Isa , who has been in an Iranian prison since July 2009 . The lawsuit accuses the telecommunications company of helping the Iranian government establish `` spying centers '' that allegedly were used to monitor Saharkhiz 's cell phone communications . Isa Saharkhiz is just one of hundreds of outspoken critics of the Iranian government to have been arrested as part of a wide-ranging crackdown on opposition leaders over the past year . `` Nokia gave the technology that made this arrest possible , '' said Mehdi Saharkhiz , in an interview with CNN . `` When these people arrested my dad they said , 'We traced your phone . ' '' This is not the first time the joint venture between Nokia and Siemens has come under fire from activists critical of the company 's dealings with the Iranian government . Nobel Peace Prize-winning Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi previously accused Nokia Siemens Network of supplying the technology to allow the government to monitor cell phone calls and text messages . There have also been reports of boycotts of Nokia products inside Iran . Last June , a top executive from Nokia Siemens defended his company 's decision to supply a telephone `` monitoring center '' to Iran in 2008 during an appearance before the European Parliament 's Subcommittee on Human Rights . Barry French , a member of Nokia Siemens ' executive board , argued that law enforcement agencies around the world require `` Lawful Interception '' capability from mobile phone operators `` as a condition of their license to operate . '' French said the technology is necessary to combat child pornography , drug trafficking and terrorism . However , he acknowledged that his company miscalculated when it came to providing monitoring centers to Iran . `` We halted all work related to monitoring centers in Iran in 2009 , including service and support , '' French said , according to a statement distributed by his company 's press office . `` We believe we should have understood the issues in Iran better in advance and addressed them more proactively . '' Nokia Siemens says it sold off its monitoring center business in March 2009 . One prominent Iranian human rights group has applauded the Saharkhiz lawsuit against Nokia Siemens . `` We have to make sure international corporations are not enablers of the Iranian governments ' human rights crimes , '' said Hadi Ghaemi of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran . `` Even if Nokia Siemens manages to escape a judgment in this case , the message to other corporations will be loud and clear to stay away from such business deals . '' As for Isa Saharkhiz , he appeared in a Tehran court last month to face charges of `` plotting to overthrow the government . '' After a year in prison , during which Saharkhiz claims he was beaten by his captors , the journalist 's health has declined considerably . His son says he can move only with the help of a wheelchair due to back problems . More recently , Mehdi Saharkhiz says , his father 's blood pressure has soared to dangerous levels . More then a month after his trial , Saharkhiz is still in prison awaiting a verdict .
Iranian accuses the telecom company of helping the Iran government spy . Nokia Siemens says the suit is filed against the wrong party , on the wrong premise . Company says it halted all work related to monitoring centers in Iran in 2009 .