Iranian police have detained 109 people for "disturbing public order" during the opposition rally on Wednesday. The figure, reported by IRNA today, is significantly lager than had been reported previously.
Azizollah Rajabzadeh, an spokesman for the Judiciary, told IRNA tha 62 of those detained have been handed over to authorities for trial and the rest have been released after questioning.
"Police detained 109 people who disturbed public order on the sidelines of the rally," Rajabzadeh said. "62 of those arrested were handed over to judicial authorities and the rest were set free. Of 62 detained, 43 are men and 19 women."
Three journalists were among those detained. Farhad Pouladi, a reporter for Agence France Presse, and one of the three detained journalists, was released this afternoon.
The figure of 109 for Iran is highly questionable.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, because the 109 figure is for Tehran only, the likely figure for the whole country is likely much higher.
Secondly, the official figures have a terrible record of inaccuracies, contradictions and revisions (always upwards).
Then, there is the fact that many of those arrested are taken by IRGC and unidentified plainclothes men to unknown detention camps, out of the reach of the police, the prosecutor or even the intelligence ministry.
It is only the 'lucky detainees' who end up in Evin Prison (yes, it has come to this!).
Thirdly, the commander of the Greater Tehran Security Police, Mohammad Reza Alipour (formerly an IRGC commander), said on Saturday that he did not know the number of the detainees.
Additionally, the Prsecutor-General for the Tehran Province, Abbas Ja'fari-Dowlatabadi said that he did not have figures for those released.
The source of this news is: http://www.rahesabz.net/story/3655/
Your report also does not clarify that the 43 who were reportedly "released" were in fact freed on bail, and not released unconditionally. They likely will face further proceedings.
It was also reported on November 7 that the reformist bloc in Iran's parliament were looking into the circumstances surrounding the death of a student in Isfahan who was killed during a police raid on his home earlier on the same day. He had allegedly participated in the November 4 protests. Here is the source: http://www.parlemannews.ir/?n=5205
Thanks much for your comments. The figure 109 was the "official" figure, not mine. I do agree that the real number could be higher, even much higher. The government at first had put the number of detainees at 23, now changing it to 109.
ReplyDeleteThanks much for your comments. The figure 109 was the "official" figure, not mine. I do agree that the real number could be higher, even much higher. The government at first had put the number of detainees at 23, now changing it to 109.
ReplyDeleteGen Salami as a good man one of those few old timers from the war still left at IRGC
ReplyDelete