First prisoner abuse death in Iran’s post-election turmoil

September 8th, 2009 Iran detains reformist, closes opposition officeTEHRAN, Iran (AP ) — Iranian security agents have arrested a prominent reformist and closed the offices of an opposition party probing abuse of those arrested in the country's postelection crackdown. Esmaeil Gerami Moghaddam, a spokesman for the National Confidence Party, says security agents sealed the party offices in Tehran on Tuesday.

August 29th, 2009 Hardline prosecutor in Iran opposition trial firedTEHRAN, Iran — Iran's new judiciary chief has fired the hard-line prosecutor involved in the mass trial of opposition activists charged with seeking to topple the ruling system through a "velvet revolution," state media reported Saturday. Saeed Mortazavi, the Tehran prosecutor, is detested by reformists who call him the "butcher of the press" and "torturer of Tehran" because he was behind the closure of more than 120 newspapers and the imprisonment of dozens of journalists and political activists in the past decade.

August 26th, 2009 Senior Iranian cleric calls system a dictatorshipTEHRAN, Iran — Iran's most senior dissident cleric on Wednesday criticized the ruling system under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a dictatorship in the name of Islam, the most serious attack on the country's top official following the disputed presidential election. Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri said the ruling system showed its true nature with the violent crackdown against the hundreds of thousands who protested President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election and the torture of detainees that led to at least three deaths.

August 24th, 2009 Iran reformist unveils case of raped detaineeTEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian opposition leader on Monday released what he said was an account by a prisoner raped by his jailers in a challenge to the country's leadership which has sought to silence claims of torture and abuses in the postelection crackdown. The allegations of torture and even rapes against imprisoned opposition protesters have become a source of embarrassment to the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran's clerical leadership as they try to put behind them the turmoil of the disputed June presidential election.

August 16th, 2009 More on trial in Iran over post-election turmoilTEHRAN, Iran — Iran's official news agency says 25 more activists and opposition supporters have gone on trial over their alleged involvement in the post-election turmoil. The IRNA report says the prosecutor read a general indictment for the 25 saying they had been plotting the post-election unrest for years.

August 15th, 2009 Iran's top leader appoints new judiciary chiefTEHRAN, Iran — Iran's supreme leader appointed a hard-line cleric as the country's new judiciary chief following the end of his predecessor's term, state television reported Saturday. Sadeq Larijani's appointment does not appear to be related to the turmoil that has wracked Iran following the disputed June presidential election.

August 14th, 2009 Iran reformist leader says he has torture accountsTEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian opposition leader says he received reports of protesters detained after the country's disputed presidential election being tortured to death in jail. Mahdi Karroubi says he got testimonies from prisoners who say they were abused while in detention and from those who say they saw others being brutally tortured, some to death.

August 12th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani Wednesday dismissed allegations that protesters detained in the post-election unrest were raped as "sheer lies". "Following a precise and comprehensive inquiry into (the treatment of) detainees at Kahrizak and Evin prisons, no cases of rape or sexual abuse were found," Larijani was quoted as saying by the Press TV.

August 12th, 2009 Iran speaker denies prisoner rape allegationsTEHRAN, Iran — Iran's parliament speaker on Wednesday denied allegations made by a defeated pro-reform presidential candidate that protesters detained after the disputed election were raped by their jailers, state media reported. Ali Larijani told an open session of parliament that a parliamentary investigation found no truth to the rape allegations made by Mahdi Karroubi over the weekend.

July 31st, 2009 Iran blames foreign countries for protester deathsTEHRAN, Iran — The Iranian foreign minister is blaming foreign countries for the deaths of opposition supporters in Iran's post-election turmoil. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets since the June 12 presidential election, claiming the vote was fraudulent.

July 30th, 2009 Opposition to hold memorial for post-vote victimsTEHRAN, Iran — The Iranian opposition is to hold a "silent memorial" for victims of post-election violence in defiance of a government ban on the gathering. Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi's Web site says he plans to attend the ceremony on Thursday, along with another pro-reformist candidate, Mahdi Karrubi, who was also defeated in the June 12 presidential election.

July 13th, 2009 Iran conservative candidate warns of 'implosion'TEHRAN,Iran — Iran's defeated conservative candidate criticized both the government and opposition protesters, warning that more post-election turmoil could destabilize the country In his remarks published on his Web site late Sunday, Mohsen Rezaei warned that the continuation of the current situation could "drive us toward implosion." Iran has been in turmoil following its June 12 presidential election. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner but the opposition claims widespread fraud.

June 29th, 2009 TEHRAN - The United States and Israel, the two main foes of Iran, were behind the post-election protests and violence in the Islamic country, a senior minister has alleged. "I announce that no organised rigging which could affect the result of the election has taken place," Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei said in an interview with IRIB's Channel Two Sunday night.

May 28th, 2009 LONDON - US President Barack Obama is attempting to censor images of apparent rape and sexual abuse at Iraq's infamous Abu Ghraib prison, it has emerged. At least one picture shows an American soldier raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee, reports The Telegraph.

May 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Graphic photographs of alleged prisoner abuse in Iraq have surfaced in spite of the Obama administration trying its level best to halt its release. The images emerged from Australia yesterday where they were originally obtained by the channel SBS in 2006 in the wake of the Abu Ghraib scandal.