Iran Prisoner Abuse Stokes Outrage Against Government

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30 July 2009 :: staff

The alleged violent, even lethal brutality which Iran’s security forces have used against detained opposition supporters has mushroomed into a full-blown prisoner-abuse scandal that is sowing anger and shock among the people of Iran. The alleged abuses run the gamut from mass beatings in darkness, ripping off of finger and toe nails and forcing detainees to lick the inside of dirty toilets. At least 150 people are estimated to have been killed in the crackdown, since the 12 June vote.

Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi have organized a mass rally in memory of those killed, for today, Thursday 30 July. The government rejected a request for permits to hold the gathering, but opposition websites have reported the two reformist candidates would hold the mourning events anyway. Today marks 40 days since Neda Agha Soltan was shot and killed, allegedly by a member of the Basij militia.

Recent revelations about the huge number of opposition supporters killed by security forces, and the brutal manner in which they were killed, has outraged the Iranian public and given momentum to the opposition. After a political controversy which pitted Supreme Leader Ali Khamane’i against his ally Pres. Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, which ended with Khamene’i ordering the dismissal of Ahmedinejad’s choice for First Vice President, his replacement in case of incapacity, and Ahmedinjad’s resisting, then relenting, the prison-abuse revelations have put increased pressure on the government.

In response to the revelations, Ayatollah Khamene’i has ordered the closing of the Kahrizak prison camp, where many of the opposition supporters detained without news of their welfare or access to due process are believed to have been held. The closure has been treated as an admission that atrocities were committed at the site and is seen by some as a conciliatory gesture, by others as part of a massive, concerted cover-up of official crimes.

The torture and killing of prisoners has outraged some in the clerical establishment, who have openly denounced the abuse as “unislamic” or violating the foundations of the Islamic republic. In an apparent effort to show he is on the side of both the republic and the moral integrity of Islam, as conceived by the clerical establishment, Khamene’i has also ordered the release of prisoners from Tehran’s Evin prison.

According to Reuters, “Lawmaker Kazem Jalali said 140 detainees were released from Evin prison after members of a parliamentary committee visited the prison on Tuesday, ISNA reported. ‘Those with minor charges have been released on bail,’ said Jalali.” Jalali also reportedly said the Kahrizak prison camp was closed because it was not adequate to safeguarding the “rights of detainees”. Opposition websites allege prisoners held there were subjected to “severe physical and mental pressure”, what many take as a euphemism for torture, systematic deprivation and even lethal beatings.

The Guardian is live-blogging today’s demonstrations for the dead, and providing updates on newly identified opposition supporters who were killed in the security crackdown. At 11:15am today, London time, the Guardian’s website reported:

The identify of another dead protester has been revealed, according to the reformist website Mowjcamp.com, writes Robert Tait.

He is Amir Hossein Toufanpour who died – apparently in custody – after being shot and wounded in the massive Tehran demonstration of June 15.

The Guardian is also building an interactive feature designed to help identify and keep track of those who have lost their lives in the aftermath of Iran’s disputed election. There are rumors the family of Neda Soltan has been banned from attending a ceremony to honor her. Jim Sciutto, of ABC News, has posted the following report on Twitter: “Neda’s mother pressured not to attend: ‘for reasons I can’t say, I cannot attend the ceremony of my own daughter’”.

A severe crackdown has been imposed to attempt to prevent mourners from gathering near Ms. Soltan’s grave. Reuters cites one witness as saying “Hundreds have gathered around Neda Soltan’s grave to mourn her death and other victims’ deaths … police arrested some of them … dozens of riot police also arrived and are trying to disperse the crowd”, while there are also reports Mir Hossein Mousavi, the opposition leader, was surrounded by police and forcibly returned to his vehicle, in an attempt to keep him from participating in the gathering at the cemetery.

The Guardian is also citing epersian radio as relaying voice reports that appear to be delivered live, via mobile phone, from the cemetery. Also according to the Guardian, “The film makers Mahnaz Mohammadi and Jaafar Panahi were among those arrested at the cemetery, according to the women’s rights website Women’s Field.”

CNN’s correspondent Rezah Sayah has reported at least one mourner was seen bleeding from the head, while police received water from (another?) mourner. Mobile phone video of crowds massing and confronted at the cemetery has also emerged, and is posted online by the BBC.

Hajatoleslam Mohammad Motahhari, son of one of the most esteemed leaders from the revolutionary period, has denounced the violence against opposition supporters and the prisoner deaths: “Defending an Islamic regime by implementing non-Islamic and inhumane methods is as effective as trying to preserve the words and deeds of the Holy Prophet Mohammad through drinking alcohol”. Reports of ongoing brutality against unarmed civilians continue to emerge.

By 4:43 pm London time, it was reported that over 10,000 people had attended the mourning ceremony at Behesht e-Zahra cemetery, to mourn the death of Neda Agha Soltan and the loss of life among slain opposition supporters. Saeed Kamali Dehghan has reported from the site:

Two groups of riot police turned out to quell the demonstration: regular police who were not attacking people, and the riot police from the revolutionary guards – dubbed “special guards” – who attacked demonstrators with plastic and electric batons and launched tear gas.

Cemeteries are considered sacred places, and ordinarily police are forbidden from entering, but today I saw at least 20 people bleeding from head from beatings at the hands of riot police.

Officials and unnamed sources inside the government are now being quoted as having revealed to media that they have witnessed the brutality and have condemned the brutality. One riot guard with regular police riot units is quoted, saying:

The police who are attacking people are not normal riot police, they are the special guards who have the permission to attack people under any circumstance. We won’t attack our own people. We won’t attack our brothers and sisters.

I’m encouraging people and assuring them that we are with them, we are not content with this situation and we are not the police who killed Neda and Sohrab. They were killed by the revolutionary guards.

With increasing numbers of people inside government and reportedly among police and security forces denouncing the use of force against unarmed civilians, today’s combat-style raid on the cemetery, during a ceremony of mourning the dead, may further escalate tensions and put the government on the defensive. Opposition groups are reportedly bracing for a still more intense crackdown, even as they plan for further demonstrations.

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