Head of cemetery retires during mass burial probe

Head of Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery has retired amidst allegations of a mass burial in this largest cemetery of Tehran. “The mass burial of 44 post-election victims in plot 302 of Behesht-e Zahra” was reported on Norooz website on August 22. Norooz reported having received the news through a cemetery employee and posted the 44 unidentified burial permits on its site. A parliamentary committee probing the post-election events announced yesterday that they are investigating the rumours of this mass burial.

While reformist media outlets have connected Mahmoud Rezaian’s retirement with these reports, Rezaian, who was the head of Behesht-e Zahra for 24 years, denies both the connection and the allegations of mass burial of post-election protesters.

Norooz website posted a film showing the unidentified graves in plot 302 of Behesht-e Zahra and many claim that Rezaian’s retirement was announced by Mehr News Agency right after the posting of this film.

In the aftermath of the post-election protests in Iran, authorities claim 30 people were killed. However, reformist investigative bodies put the number of dead at a minimum of 69.