Iranians accused of hiding assaults
Detainees claim they were raped

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Comments 0
Published: November 7, 2009

CAIRO — An international human rights group said Friday it has documented three cases of sexual assault against detainees arrested during Iran’s postelection turmoil, including one that was supported by an official report but not investigated further.

Human Rights Watch accused Iran’s judiciary of covering up the abuses and called on it to open investigations immediately.

Claims that detainees were raped by their jailers first emerged in August.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said one of the cases was supported by a report from the medical examiner’s office, which the group said reports to Iran’s judiciary. Judicial authorities, however, refused to investigate further and threatened to arrest the detainee’s family if they spoke out, the group said.

Human Rights Watch said the 27-year-old activist was first arrested on July 26 and held for a week. The group said officers believed to be from Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard military force seized him for a second time on Aug. 19. The activist told the rights group he was beaten and sodomized.