Twenty-six Iranian political prisoners are reportedly under pressure from the Revolutionary Guards and the Tehran Prosecutor’s office to withdraw an official complaint they have filed against their interrogators.
The Kaleme opposition website reports that the 26 prisoners have been called on to deny the allegations recorded in their letter of complaint or else they will face “harsh consequences.” The complaint alleges torture and abuse by their interrogators.
Several senior opposition figures and reformists detained after the controversial 2009 presidential elections and the disputed victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are among those who signed the complaint.
To quash the widespread protests that followed the 2009 presidential election, the authorities arrested dozens of political activists and thousands of protesting citizens.
Chief opposition figures mainly have been accused of “propaganda against the regime and activities against national security.”
Kaleme reports that several of the high-profile prisoners have been threatened with further charges and the loss of all their privileges inside prison.
In a letter, the prisoners indicate that their filing of the letter has led to further torture, the most common form being solitary confinement.
They add that prison authorities are using torture and pressure to force them to sign false confessions.
“Without exception, we have all been subjected to immoral and un-Islamic behaviour by the interrogators,” the prisoners write.
The Iranian judiciary has denied any torture of the prisoners.
