Reuters: The rape of some Iranian reformers who were jailed after a disputed presidential election has been proven to a parliamentary committee, a lawmaker was quoted as saying on Thursday.
TEHRAN (Reuters) – The rape of some Iranian reformers who were jailed after a disputed presidential election has been proven to a parliamentary committee, a lawmaker was quoted as saying on Thursday.
"Raping of some detainees with a baton and soda bottle has been proven to us," the Parlemannews website quoted the unidentified member of the investigative committee as saying.
Iran's moderate defeated presidential candidate, Mehdi Karoubi, had alleged that some of those detained after the poll were raped while in custody.
The authorities had rejected the accusations as baseless, but parliament speaker Ali Larijani last week said he would be ready to consider any documents or other evidence submitted by Karoubi to back up his claims.
Karoubi had said that four people were ready to testify to parliament that they were sexually abused in jail.
The reformist cleric has come under pressure by hardliners for raising the allegations, some suggesting that Karoubi should be jailed or lashed if failed to prove his claims.
Another moderate, losing candidate Mirhossein Mousavi, backed Karoubi, accusing "establishment agents" of raping and abusing detainees.
Iranian moderates say the vote was rigged to secure President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election.
The poll and its turbulent aftermath have plunged Iran into its biggest internal crisis in the past three decades.
Thousands of people were arrested during widespread street unrest after the election. Moderates say at least 69 reformers were killed since the vote, contradicting the official figure of 29 deaths.
(Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
