Tehran: An Iranian opposition leader has claimed that women and boys detained over the wave of unrest that swept the nation after the disputed presidential election
have been brutally raped in custody.
The allegations by defeated presidential candidate Mehdi
Karroubi surfaced as Iran hit back at Western criticism of its
mass trials of protesters, including British and French
embassy staff.
"A number of detainees have said that some female
detainees have been raped savagely. Young boys held in
detention have also been savagely raped," Karroubi said in a
letter to powerful cleric and ex-president Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani.
"The young boys are suffering from depression and serious
physical and mental damage since their rapes," he said, urging
a probe into the claims.
Karroubi made the allegations in a "confidential letter"
delivered on July 29 to Rafsanjani in his capacity as head of
the Assembly of Experts, the powerful body which selects the
supreme leader and supervises his activities.
Karroubi, a reformist former parliamentary speaker who
came a distant fourth in the June 12 election that returned
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power, has previously alleged
that protesters were being abused and beaten in custody.
About 2,000 opposition supporters were arrested in the
aftermath of Ahmadinejad`s disputed victory. Most have been
released, but around 200 remain behind bars. At least 110 have
also been put on trial.
Bureau Report
