Sixteen Iranian MPs have called on the Justice Minister to “speed up” the 2009 case involving detainees at the Kahrizak Detention Centre who were reportedly tortured and murdered.
ISNA reports that 16 MPs, including both conservative and reformist figures, drew the Justice Minister’s attention to the blatant case of detainee abuses, calling on the ministry to expedite the prosecution of the case.
The Kahrizak scandal hit the media in 2009 when three detainees were killed under severe torture, which led to the centre’s closure by order of the Supreme Leader.
Former Tehran Prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi was quickly removed from his position when, along with two judges, he was indicted in the affair; a parliamentary probe found that the officials in charge of transferring prisoners to the notorious prison must have known they would be subjected to torture.
Mortazavi is also accused of failing to abide by the order of the Supreme Leader and delaying the closure of the centre.
Saeed Mortazavi enjoys the support of the Ahmadinejad administration and has been kept in top government positions by order of the president.
