 Iran's president called Sunday for an investigation into journalists' allegations they were tortured into confessing to charges such as insulting sacred beliefs and endangering national security after publishing articles critical of conservatives in the government. About 20 journalists from print, Internet and other media outlets have been detained in Iran since a crackdown on the pro-reform press was launched in September. Several of those journalists told a presidential commission last month that they were tortured. President Mohammad Khatami said Sunday he would meet with the head of the country's judiciary about the allegations. "It's deplorable even if 10 percent of what the Web bloggers allege is true," Khatami said, referring to the writers who kept online journals, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency. "It's against the dignity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It has to be probed." Several detainees, some of whom were barred from meeting their attorneys, confessed to charges that included spreading propaganda against the regime and inciting public unrest. "Confessions were extracted from us under physical and psychological pressures in prison. Apparently we were released but threats against us and even our families have been continued," said Hanif Mazroui, one of the detained bloggers. |
