Controversy over story of Iranian post-election victim

Taraneh Mousavi (published in Zir Zameen and Cherik on line weblogs)

Two Iranian journalists, who fled Iran after the disputed presidential elections of 2009, issued a statement to identify themselves as the first reporters of the controversial news about the arrest and rape of Taraneh Mousavi.

In their separate weblogs, Reza Valizadeh and Leyla MalekMohammadi confirm the account of Taraneh Mousavi’s arrest and her eventual death in the post-election crackdown on protesters last year.

The first report about Taraneh Mousavi appeared in Zir Zameen and Cherik on line blogs last summer for which the two said journalists claim to have been responsible.

Valizadeh and MalekMohammadi reported that Taraneh Mousavi, a 28-year-old woman was arrested, raped and killed in the post-election events in Tehran.

In their latest statement, the journalists insist that they first heard the story from one of Taraneh Mousavi’s inmates. They also claim to have been in contact with the family of the missing girl and add that her father passed away soon after the incident.

They add that Taraneh Mousavi’s computer was full of pictures from the post-election protests and go on to say that her family did not want them to publish any of those pictures.

The family did however provide them with one picture of their daughter which was published on their website last summer, the two journalists maintain.

Last week, Omid Habibinia, another Iranian journalist who published the news of Taraneh Mousavi’s death in his Azadi-e Bayan website last year, announced that he was deceived by his two sources and the story of Taraneh Mousavi is a fabrication.

In their latest announcement, Reza Valizadeh and Leyla MalekMohammadi write that “unfortunately there is no doubt about the tragic death of Taraneh Mousavi while she was under arrest.”

They also claim that security reasons and possibility of state persecution forbid them from revealing all their sources.

Recently Morteza Elviri, aide to the opposition leader, Mehdi Karroubi also confirmed the arrest of Taraneh Mousavi but maintained that he is unable to give any further information about the case.