Probe urged into Iran jail 'rape'

[Heidi]

Source: BBC

Page last updated at 06:28 GMT, Monday, 10 August 2009 07:28 UK

A defeated opposition candidate in Iran's presidential election has called for an investigation into allegations some protesters were raped in prison.

In a letter to former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mehdi Karroubi said senior officials had informed him of the "shameful behaviour" taking place.

Mr Karroubi wrote that both male and female detainees had been raped, with some suffering serious injuries.

He asked Mr Rafsanjani to consult the Supreme Leader about the allegations.

About 200 people arrested during the mass protests sparked by June's disputed election, which saw President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-elected by a wide margin, are still being detained.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8192660.stm

[Odin2005]

1. There are no words...

:cry:

[BOG PERSON]

5. It's very upsetting, I know

Here in the USA we make callous jokes about prison rape, as if an inmate getting raped is part of paying his debt to society. We make comedy movies about it, because it is a laughing matter to us. We think of it as a form of hazing. We take photos of our prisoners getting sexually humiliated and show them to the world.

In the Islamic Republic of Iran (a civilized country) they understand what a serious offense prison rape is, and that it threatens the spirit of a country's penal system. I'm sure authorities intend to seriously look into this matter and hopefully they will bring the perpetrators to justice soon.

[DCKit]

2. According to religious fundamentalists, "Allah smiled". n/t

[Heidi]

3. UPDATE: Iran speaker rejects detainee rape claims (CNN)

updated 3 hours, 21 minutes ago

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran's influential parliament speaker dismissed allegations that post-election detainees were raped while in custody, calling the claims by an opposition leader "sheer lies," state-run media reported Wednesday.

Ali Larijani said that a special panel of Iran's parliament, or Majlis, conducted a "precise and comprehensive inquiry" into the treatment at Tehran's Evin and Kahrizak prisons, and found "no cases of rape or sexual abuse," Press TV reported.

Larijani's fiery response was to accusations made by opposition candidate Mehdi Karrubi who, along with opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi, ran against hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 election. Iran's election authority declared Ahmadinejad the overwhelming winner of the race, sparking hundreds of thousands of Iranians to take to the streets in protests.

A brutal government crackdown followed, leading to the arrests of more than 1,000 people. The official death toll from the post-election unrest is 30, though opposition leaders say it's more than twice that figure, Press TV reported.

Read more

[USA_1]

4. Prison Rapes

Happens every day in USA prisons but nobody views it as newsworthy. Can't undertsand why but that's the way it is.

[BOG PERSON]

6. Because these are political prisoners? I don't know.

Probably just another one of those famous Western double standards.