Iranian prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi has been found responsible for the torture and deaths of several protesters following the Iranian presidential elections in June, reported Iranian Web site Payvand. The decision came after an inquiry by the Iranian Judiciary.
According to the reports, 12 unnamed officials were also charged with the murder of three post-election protesters. The deaths of these protesters occurred at the infamous Kahrizak prison, which was under the supervision of Mortazavi. The prison is known by the Iranians for its harsh treatment.
Mortazavi, who was the Tehran city prosecutor at that time, personally ordered the prisoners to be detained at the Kahrizak facilities, reported Iranian Alef Web site. The Web site has ties to the conservative lawmaker Ahmad Tavakoli—a cousin of the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ali Larijani.
Mortazavi was later reassigned from the position of city prosecutor to deputy prosecutor general—deputy to the chief prosecutor of the Iranian government—which some viewed as a promotion.
He was previously mentioned in connection with the death of the Iranian-Canadian freelance photojournalist Zahra Kazemi in 2004.
Mortazavi is being seen by several Iranian analysts as an ideological scapegoat, used to quiet the dramatic rise in public protests following the death of a prominent reform leader Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri.
According to the reports, 12 unnamed officials were also charged with the murder of three post-election protesters. The deaths of these protesters occurred at the infamous Kahrizak prison, which was under the supervision of Mortazavi. The prison is known by the Iranians for its harsh treatment.
Mortazavi, who was the Tehran city prosecutor at that time, personally ordered the prisoners to be detained at the Kahrizak facilities, reported Iranian Alef Web site. The Web site has ties to the conservative lawmaker Ahmad Tavakoli—a cousin of the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ali Larijani.
Mortazavi was later reassigned from the position of city prosecutor to deputy prosecutor general—deputy to the chief prosecutor of the Iranian government—which some viewed as a promotion.
He was previously mentioned in connection with the death of the Iranian-Canadian freelance photojournalist Zahra Kazemi in 2004.
Mortazavi is being seen by several Iranian analysts as an ideological scapegoat, used to quiet the dramatic rise in public protests following the death of a prominent reform leader Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri.
