Mousavi says protesters confessed after 'torture'

[tocqueville]

Source: AFP

(AFP) – 1 hour ago

TEHRAN — Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi said on Sunday that confessions made by protesters at a closed-door trial were made after they were put through "medieval-era torture."

"The scenes that we saw were a clumsy preparation for the launch of the 10th government," Mousavi said on his website Ghalamnews the day after 100 people were put on trial over post-election protests.

"They expect a court, which itself is fraudulent, to prove that there was no fraud committed in the election," said Mousavi, who was defeated by incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 election.

"What are they trying to convince people of... by relying on reports from reporters nobody has heard of and relying on confessions which obviously bore the hallmarks medieval-era torture?"

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j541jIPX49Z_caY5ti3kPVfsbq1g

[fasttense]

1. But Dick the Cheney said torture was grrrrreat. n/t

[formercia]

2. Setting an example for others to follow.

So, where's the outcry from the Administration?

[VermeerLives]

9. VermeerLives

The torture of the female protestors most likely included rape, very common in Iranian prisons. Oh, but their abusers get to marry them first. Nice. Women, if they are virgins, are raped, because in Islam only virgins can get into Paradise (if women can get into heaven at all in Islam.....). I would imagine that the torture in these prisons goes a little bit beyond water boarding......

[MADem]

3. WELL KNOCK ME OVER WITH A FEATHER!!! Who knew???

Of COURSE they were tortured. All you had to do was look at their "cheery" faces in their prison uniforms in the court photos that the IRI released--it's OBVIOUS.

[azul]

4. Why demonize Iran? Need another contrived war for oil?

Why the tenacious media blitz to demonize foreigners when we are loaded with demons right here is the USA?

Oh yea, the corporate empire thing. Team USA! We protect our players by looking the other way.


http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts06162009.html

[iandhr]

5. Look

I do not want a war. But I hope your not defending the Iranian regime. The people who run it are brutish thugs

[azul]

6. Why single out Iran's brutish thugs when there are so many worse?

It's all about oil, admit it.

BTW, where do you get the thug info, fox? Did you even read the CP article?

I say leave the US-stricken Iranians alone and get the hell out of Dodge (ME). Get with the urgent program of electric cars/batteries and solar cells and solar thermal plants. And conservation.

Does that make me an isolationist conservative? SBI.

[tocqueville]

8. yep Myanmar and North-Korea are probably worse.

pick your choice....

[tocqueville]

7. the USA is still a democray, Iran a religious fascist dictatorship

you are comparing apples and oranges. That's the typical mistake of western lefties, to side with thugs or dictators because of the West's own demons. That's why the left has totally lost credibility in many countries and be replaced by social-democrats, for the better.

[JI7]

10. how is this demonizing Iran ? Mousavi is Iranian as are many protesting their leadership

what you say is what the Republicans said about people who criticized Bush. said they hated America if we criticized the leadership.