Two Iranian Reformists granted asylum: Report

Iran says two high-profile members of a Reformist political front, the Islamic Revolution Mujahedeen Organization, have reportedly left the country to seek asylum in Sweden and the United States.

According to a report published by Fars News Agency on Tuesday, Mohammad Ali Tofiqi — a member of the central committee at the Iranian Reformist political organization — has been granted asylum alongside his family in the Scandinavian country of Sweden.

The report added that another member of the political front Ebrahim Mehtari has also moved to seek political asylum in the US.

The public relations of the Islamic Revolution Mujahedeen Organization, however, said in a Tuesday statement that the named individuals had no longer any connection with the political front.

The statement stressed that Tofiqi resigned in August and that the organization had no information about him and was not responsible for his current activities.

It added that Mehtari had never been an active member of the political front nor had any direct relations with the organization.

Fars News Agency described Mehtari, 27, as the person responsible for making public certain details about claims of rape and torture against protesters detained during the post-vote demonstrations.

Following the circulation of the data, leading opposition figure and former presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi called for official investigations into claims that post-vote detainees had been sexually assaulted in Iranian jails.

However, a judiciary panel responsible for looking into the matter dismissed the allegation, saying, "The panel concludes that there is no proof that people who Karroubi claimed of being raped, have been sexually assaulted."

The asylum-seeking report comes as earlier in August in a follow-up to the post-election trials of protesters detained in the unrest, Iran's Revolution Court accused the Islamic Revolution Mujahedeen Organization of "lying" and spreading "rumors of fraud in the election."

Citing examples of illegal activities carried out by the political front in the country's post-vote frenzy, the Revolution Court called for the Islamic Revolution Mujahedeen Organization to be dissolved.