Iranian detainee stands by his allegations of torture

Abdollah Momeni in court

Detained Iranian activist, Abdollah Momeni issued another letter announcing that his statements regarding torture in Iranian prisons are completely true despite recent denials by the spokesman for the judiciary.

According to Rahana, Abdollah Momeni writes that he has read Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejei’s statements of November 22 in the newspaper and felt it incumbent upon himself to clear public minds.

On November 22, Iran’s prosecutor general and spokesman for the judiciary was questioned about Abdollah Momeni’s letter addressed to the Supreme Leader regarding “physical torture, pushing prisoners’ heads in toilet bowls, insulting prisoners with obscenities and telling prisoners that the judge and the court has no role in their fate.” Iran’s prosecutor denied the statements saying there is no need for such acts in Iran’s prisons.

Momeni writes: “All my statements in the last open letter regarding the different physical and mental tortures carried out in prison were described without an iota of exaggeration and were completely true.”

He goes on to add that in the case of the notorious Kahrizak detention centre, the prison authorities kept denying the allegations of torture and mistreatment of detainees and only after repeated and persistent complaints did the Supreme Leader call for investigations of the matter.

Twelve prison officials were prosecuted for involvement in torture and death of prisoners at Kahrizak detention centre which was shut down in summer of 2009 by order of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader.

Momeni states that he hopes the judicial system will take on his complaints and uproot the elements of unlawful treatment of detainees in Iran’s prisons.

Abdollah Momeni was arrested in June of 2009 in the protests against the controversial re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the campaign building of Mehdi Karroubi supporters.

His is sentenced to five years and 11 months in prison.