Ex-Tehran prosecutor should stand 'trial'

The head of an Iranian parliamentary panel which blamed Tehran's former prosecutor for the death of three post-election protesters said Sunday the accused should stand before a judge and present evidence about the case.

Saeed Mortazavi, the former Tehran prosecutor who is now a deputy to the country's prosecutor general, has dismissed the charges.

He wrote a letter to Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Saturday, a copy of which was carried by Fars News Agency, saying he could not have ordered the detention of 147 protesters in Kahrizak prison — where at least three young men were killed last summer — as he was "on leave during the main period."

The protesters were rounded up after demonstrations erupted following the presidential election in June 2009.

Mortazavi said he supports the decision of his judges for taking actions against "thugs" in the riots who were wielding knives and daggers. He also warned against publicizing the report.

The parliamentary panel tasked with investigating the deaths pointed the finger of blame at Mortazavi for keeping the detainees in Kahrizak prison for "four days in a 70-square-meter (750-square-foot) space without ventilation in the heat of summer, hygienic standards, food and water, in addition to beating and intimidation by prison guards."

Parviz Sorouri, the lawmaker who heads the panel, told Mehr News Agency that the report was "based on undeniable evidence and documents" gathered by his team.

The lawmaker insisted a tribunal should be established to consider the panel's report. "Mr. Mortazavi should also present his evidence in this court," Sorouri said.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116381§ionid=351020101.