Iranian panel to probe penal abuse charges

TEHRAN, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- An Iranian parliamentary committee agreed to review evidence of abuse in Tehran's prisons after allegations were posted on the Web, an opposition leader said.

Mehdi Karrubi, a cleric, has been publishing accounts of abuse -- even rape -- among male and female prisoners detained for alleged participation in post-election demonstrations. Karrubi, 72, said the accounts only scratch the surface about abuse to which detainees allegedly were subjected when jailed following the June 12 presidential election in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the runaway winner.

Despite government denials of rape allegations, Karrubi said he will post prisoners' accounts of abuse on his party's Web site "if the current trend continues, CNN reported Tuesday.

The latest account by a former male detainee alleged incidents of sexual abuse at Kahrizak prison, which has since been ordered closed by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Karrubi's claims prompted strong criticism from human rights groups, including Amnesty International, which called on Khamenei to authorize an independent inquiry and allow international experts to participate in the investigation, CNN reported. Khamenei hasn't responded.

Iran's parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani, said a parliamentary committee previously conducted a "precise and comprehensive inquiry" into prisoner treatment at Tehran's Evin and Kahrizak penal facilities, finding "no cases of rape or sexual abuse," government-funded Press TV has reported.