Tehran's notorious former prosecutor suspended

Saeed Mortazavi

Jaras website reports that former Tehran prosecutor, Saeed Mortazavi and two judges have been suspended by the Iranian judiciary in connection with Kahrizak Detention Centre crimes.

Attorney of Amir Javadifar, one of the victims of the Kahrizak crimes informed Jaras of this latest development in the lawsuit against the perpetrators of violations committed against detainees at Kahrizak Detention Centre last summer.

Saleh Nikbakht reported that “following the suspension of the judges, all plaintiffs will be allowed to file their complaints against these individuals.”

Mehr state new agency had reported earlier that an order had been issued to suspend three of Iran’s judiciary officials.

The names of the other two individuals have not been announced yet.

Kahrizak Detention Centre

Last summer, a number of protesters arrested in the mass street demonstrations against the alleged fraud in the presidential elections were transferred to Kahrizak Prison in the outskirts of Tehran. These detainees were severely harassed and beaten and in the course the torture at least three of the detainees were killed.

The officials primarily tried to cover up the deaths but soon the news of the torture and abuse spread and the Supreme Leader had to close down the detention centre citing the vague reason: sub-standard conditions.

The families of detainees who were killed and tortured in the detention centre have been adamantly demanding justice from the authorities which led to a parliamentary probe into the case. The parliamentary reports confirmed the severe violations of detainee rights at Kahrizak.

Last July, the judicial branch of the armed forces sentenced two unidentified Kahrizak officials to death for “intentionally beating prisoners to death.”

Nine other individuals were given court sentences ranging from imprisonment to fines and suspension from work.

A number of Iranian MPs have called for the prosecution of Saeed Mortazavi who was the prosecutor of Tehran at the time and according to officials was responsible for transferring the prisoners to Kahrizak.

Mortazavi was removed from his position in the judiciary when Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani took over the head of judiciary position last year; however, the staunch Ahmadinejad supporter was immediately appointed head of Task Force to Fight Smuggling by the president’s office.

Mortazavi’s suspension by the judiciary comes after numerous political figures both conservative and reformist pushed for his prosecution in the Kahrizak case.