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Iran Protesters’ Kin Give Killers Reprieve, Demand Senior Officials Tried

29 September 2010 18:12 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The families of three men who died in the aftermath of Iran’s disputed election last year have granted a death-row reprieve to the two jailers convicted of their killings, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.
But in a letter published by the Mehr news agency, the relatives demand that more senior authorities stand trial for the crimes.
The families have used their right to grant clemency to the jailers, who were sentenced to death in June for killing the three anti-govenment protesters.

Mohammad Kamrani, Amir Javadifar and Mohsen Ruholamini were beaten to death while being held at Kahrizak prison last year. Several of the more than 150 protesters detained with the victims had connections to prominent Iranians, and their case, plus other abuses in Kahrizak, gained wide attention.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the prison closed shortly afterward. Earlier this month, Tehran’s chief prosecutor said his predecessor, Saeed Mortazevi, and others would be tried for their role in what happened at Kahrizak.

It was not immediately clear if the relatives of the murdered prisoners were demanding that more serious charges be brought against the men, or that more officials stand trial.

Mortazevi is an ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose controversial re-election sparked the protests last year and who is currently believed to be in a power struggle with other elements in the Iranian leadership.