BBC NEWS World Middle East Iran imnates ‘tortured to death' Ittp://newsvote.bbc.couk /npapps/pagetools/print /i ws.bbcco.uk/2/hi/nt..
I1UX NEWS
Iran inmates ‘tortured to death'
One of Iran's defeated opposition presidential candidates has said some protesters held after
June 's disputed poll were tortured to death in prison.
The claim by Mehdi Karroubi comes days after he said a number of prisoners, both male and female, had
been raped.
Officials deny the rape claims, but admit that abuses have taken place.
The BBC's Jon Leyne says the opposition is using the issue to keep up political pressure without directly
questioning Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's poll victory.
In a post on his website on Thursday, Mr Karroubi alleged that a number of detainees had been tortured
to death.
“Some young people are beaten to death just for chanting slogans in [ post-election] protests,” he wrote.
Mr Karroubi called for the formation of an independent committee to review his evidence in “a calm
atmosphere”.
On Sunday, the defeated presidential candidate claimed that both male and female opposition protesters
had been raped in detention, with some suffering serious injuries.
Mr Karroubi said the people who had told him about the allegations of sexual assault held “sensitive
positions”.
The claim was supported by a number of human rights groups but quickly dismissed as “totally baseless”
by the speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani.
“Based on parliament's investigations, detainees have not been raped or sexually abused in Iran's
Kahrizak and Evin prisons,” he said.
Mass protests
The condition under which detained protesters have been held has been controversial, with damaging
claims forcing authorities to act.
The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Au Khamanei, closed the notorious Kahrizak detention centre saying it
had failed to “preserve the detainees' rights”.
Police officials have admitted that some of those held since June might have been tortured.
Both the Iranian parliament and judiciary have established committees to investigate the post-election
unrest and the government's response.
The BBC's Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne says the issue of prison abuse is both a real concern in itself
and has also become a way of criticising the government of President Ahmadinejad without directly
challenging the legitimacy of his re-election.
On Tuesday, Iran's authorities said 4,000 people had been detained during the mass protests that broke
out in the wake of the 12 June presidential poll, which the opposition says was rigged.
The number was much higher than previous figures, although the authorities said 3,700 of them had been
released within a few days of arrest.
Opposition leaders say 69 protesters died in the post-election violence - more than double the official
figure of about 30 fatalities.
Trials criticised
1 of 2 8/14/2009 12:36 PM
BBC NEWS World Middle East Iran inmates ‘tortured to death' http://newsvote.bbc.co. ikIiiipapps/pagetools/printIr ws.bbc.co. ik/2/hi/nii...
Iran is currently trying more than 100 detainees over their alleged involvement in the protests.
The trials - of leading opposition figures, activists, journalists, lawyers, workers at foreign embassies and
two people with foreign nationalities - have been criticised by several foreign powers, opposition groups
and human rights campaigners.
But authorities insist their legal proceedings are completely legitimate and conform to international
standards of justice.
Official election results awarded incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a sweeping victory in the
polls.
He is in the process of selecting a cabinet, which will be submitted to parliamentary approval next week.
Foreign media, including the BBC, have been restricted in their coverage of Iran in the wake of the
election protests.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co. uk/go/pr/fri -/2/hi/rn idd Ie_east/8200780. stm
Published: 2009/08/14 08:42:00 GMT
© BBC MMIX
2of2 8/14/2009 12:36PM
