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Iran judicial panel rejects rape charges made by detained protestors

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] A panel of Iranian judiciary members has dismissed claims made by pro-reform presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi that detainees arrested following the disputed June 12 presidential election were sexually assaulted, according to a state media report Saturday. The panel, made up of Iranian Prosecutor General Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, Judiciary Adviser Ali Khalafi, and Deputy Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raeesi, found that there was no evidence to support Karoubi's allegations of rape and sexual harassment and that the claims were politically motivated. The panel also called for the arrest of those spreading false allegations, which is seen as referring to Karroubi. On Tuesday, the Iranian government is said to have shut down the office of Karroubi's National Confidence Party, which had been taking testimony about abuse from released prisoners. Also on Saturday, Iran's Supreme National Security Council banned newspapers from reporting on Karroubi or fellow opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. In August, Ahmadinejad called for the prosecution of opposition leaders who allegedly conspired to orchestrate widespread protests after the presidential election. Human rights groups have accused the Iranian government of using the protests to "engage in what appears to be a major purge of reform-oriented individuals."

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on September 13, 2009 (boomark / email).