TEHRAN, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- A relative of defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi denied allegations that election dissidents were raped in prison, Iranian media reports claim.
Tehran launched its fifth round of trials Monday for dissidents the government claims attempted to overthrow the Islamic republic in the chaos that followed the contested presidential election in June.
A detainee identified as "A.B.N.," who the Fars News Agency reported is a relative of Mousavi, rejected claims by opposition leader and reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi that detainees were raped in prison.
"I did not witness any torture or offense against detainees during the period of my detention. Also, I did not experience any mistreatment," the detainee said.
Karroubi in an earlier letter to influential Iranian cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani claimed detainees told the defeated candidate that a number of female detainees were "savagely" raped in prison.
A commission during the weekend tasked with vetting the variety of allegations that surfaced in the wake of the elections said the Karroubi allegations were "fake and politically motivated."
Mousavi, a leading opposition figure, called on his supporters to remain vigilant in the face of the sustained government crackdown.
"It is clear that your attempts to return calm to the society are not going to be met with a wise response," he said in recent statements. "The days ahead are truly dangerous."
