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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| At Iran post-vote prison, dereliction of duty confirmed |
| 2009-08-07 |
| After speaking to prisoners and sources at the recently shut down Kahrizak prison, the Iranian police force has come to the conclusion that violations of detainee rights along with dereliction of duty have been evident at the notorious detention center. After being found a "substandard prison", Kahrizak was closed upon the order of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Who has the final say on all matters of the state. The controversy surrounding Kahrizak, however, prompted an investigation into the conduct of the detention center. A police statement released to the press on Thursday confirms that serious violations took place at the detention center in southern Tehran following the June 12 presidential vote. The presidential election, which lead to the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president, was followed by massive protests by supporters of defeated candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi who reject the election as "fraudulent". Thousands were detained in the aftermath of the vote. Many of them have since been released. According to the police statement, Kahrizak had been set up as a temporary detention center "for the correction of detained ruffians" and thus created "harsh living conditions". The statement comes after grim revelations surfaced about the state of the opposition demonstrators in custody -- particularly those who were taken to Kahrizak. The police statement suggests that the officials involved in the imprisonment of post-vote detainees at Kahrizak erred because living conditions were obviously unsuitable. "Following investigations and interviewing detainees, the dereliction of duty and breaches by a number of the center's managers, officers and staff has become manifest," reads the statement published by the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA). "The limited capacity of the detention center and the addition of the July 9 detainees made the wings overcrowded and led to unsuitable living and hygiene conditions [for the detainees] and caused them much suffering," adds the report. Although the statement does not provide the identities, ranks or numbers of those authorities involved in the issue, it does indicate that punitive measures are under way for those who neglected the detainees and those whose acts amount to "dereliction of duty". Authorities considered violators will face the Judiciary and will be subjected to "internal disciplining" as well, according to the statement. Two duty officers were "disciplined for acting autonomously and subjecting detainees to corporal punishment" and two other officers have been sacked and will be further punished for their reluctance to act, the statement confirms. On the issue of the prison, Iranian police chief Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam said on August 4 that Kahrizak would be reconstructed as a "standard" prison and that its supervision would be relinquished to the pertinent body, the Prisons' Organization. He further denied rumors about his deputy, Brigadier Ahmad-Reza Radan, personally taking part in beating detainees. "The published rumors about Brigadier Radan and other responsible officials are false and such acts are inappropriate for commanders of the police force or even several grades below them," Ahmadi-Moqaddam told ILNA. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 In a related update Kahrizak prison will not be shut down after all. I expect these people is be reinstated with back pay (and even promoted) as soon the the noise dies down. |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2009-08-07 11:46 |