Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Publish date: August 13 • Printable version    

"Sexual assault of detainees backed by evidence"


Majid Ansari

According to Majid Ansari, member of the Association of Combatant Clerics, cases of sexual abuse of prisoners are certain and the evidence regarding them has been already handed to officials of the Islamic Republic.

Mehdi Karoubi, a disputing candidate of the recent presidential elections in Iran, was the first to officially publicize reports of the alleged sexual assault. In a letter to Hashemi Rafsanjani, Chairman of Council of Experts, he had urged an immediate investigation of the reports. After ten days, having received no response from Ayatollah Rafsanjani, he released the letter to the media.

While Karoubi and Ansari and other reformist figures have expressed outrage over the sexual abuse of the recent detainees, government officials have been denying the allegations. Ali Larijani announced that no such cases have occurred in Evin and Kahrizak. Furthermore, he accused Karoubi of making accusations without sufficient proof.

Hashemi Rafsanjani also announced that he sent Mr. Karoubi’s letter to head of the judiciary; however, Ayatollah Shahroudi had responded that no case of sexual assault had occurred in the prisons that are under the supervision of the judiciary.

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