News / Middle East

Iranian Parliament to Investigate Death of Blogger

Iranian blogger Sattar Beheshti posted on the Iranian opposition website.
Iranian blogger Sattar Beheshti posted on the Iranian opposition website.
TEXT SIZE - +
Iran's attorney general, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'ii said in a press conference Monday that Iranian blogger Sattar Beheshti's body was bruised.

He cited forensic reports which said five areas on his body showed bruising, including his leg, calves, hands, and shoulders.

On Sunday, the deputy head of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Aboutorabi, called for the formation of a special committee to investigate Beheshti's death.

Aboutorabi said the investigation should be completed as quickly as possibile.

Ayatollah Amoli Larijani, head of the judicial system in Iran, also issued a call for an immediate investigation into Beheshti's death, saying all responsible should be brought to justice immediately. The call came Sunday in a statement by the High Council for Human Rights.
 
Another member of parliament, Ahmad Tavakoli, had warned about the silence of the judiciary and the foreign ministry regarding the death of Beheshti, according to Mehr. He added that officials need to go after corrupt officials instead of going after bloggers and the media.

A journalist in Tehran told VOA that more foreign support for the blogger [Beheshti], means less possibility that his case will be fully investigated but that if more people inside, like Tavakoli, follow up, the chances are higher that the investigation wil gain traction.

Opposition website Kaleme reported that Iran's attorney general, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'ii,  will hold a press conference Monday to answer questions about Beheshti's death.

Beheshti, 35, was arrested in his home in late October, and his family was asked on Wednesday to pick up his body from a detention center in Tehran.

In his last posting before being arrested, Beheshti wrote that security services had threatened him - saying his mother "would soon be wearing black" if he continued speaking out.

On Friday, the U.S. State Department demanded Iranian authorities investigate his death while in custody last week.

France and Britain are also calling on Iran to explain Beheshti's death.

Human rights groups Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders have joined in calling on Iran to release details of his death.

Hadi Ghaemi, a spokesman for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said cases like Beheshti's are not uncommon.

"Our organization has documented at least 17 deaths of political prisoners inside Iranian prisons since 2003," he said. "There is no doubt Beheshti was taken to custody, died within less than a week, and his body is already buried without allowing family to have access to it or have an autopsy performed."

He added that the facts of the case were irrefutable and that if the death had been due to natural causes, Iranian authorities could have easily proven it by allowing an autopsy.

Ordinary Iranians are skeptical anything will be done to address Beheshti's death.

A business owner in Tehran told VOA he thinks that in the best case scenario, a few officers who carried out orders will be charged, but those who gave the orders will not face punishment. 

Beheshti's case recalls the 2003 case of Zahra Kazemi, a Canadian-Iranian photographer, who was arrested and later died while in custody. While her case received a lot of international scrutiny, and even some parliamentary discussions, no one was held accountable for her death.

You May Like

Karzai to Discuss Enhancing Defense Ties with India

Afghanistan looking for more military aid as it prepares for withdrawal of NATO forces by next year More

India, China Pledge to Overcome Border Tensions

Indian prime minister and Chinese premier attempt to move past tense standoff in the Himalayas during Delhi talks More

Burmese President Opens US Visit with VOA Town Hall Meeting

Ahead of his meeting with President Obama Monday, Thein Sein answered questions on human rights and economic development in his country More

This forum has been closed.
Comments
     
There are no comments in this forum. Be first and add one

Featured Videos

Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Video

Video Valley Fever Raises Concerns in California, Arizona

A longstanding health problem in California's Central Valley has worsened in recent years, leading health officials to order the relocation of 3,000 prisoners from two state prisons. But the disease affects much of the population in some rural communities and, Mike O'Sullivan reports, while it often goes unnoticed, it sometimes can be devastating for patients.