(WiPC/IFEX) – According to the “London Guardian”, on 6 January 1999, the Iranian secret police acknowledged that a rogue element within its own ranks had been responsible for murdering the three writers found dead in November and December last year. **Updates IFEX alerts of 17 December, 14 December, 11 December, 10 December, 9 December, 7 […]
(WiPC/IFEX) – According to the “London Guardian”, on 6 January 1999, the
Iranian secret police acknowledged that a rogue element within its own ranks
had been responsible for murdering the three writers found dead in November
and December last year.
**Updates IFEX alerts of 17 December, 14 December, 11 December, 10 December,
9 December, 7 December and 27 November 1998**
Majid Sharif was found dead in a morgue in Tehran on 24 November 1998;
Mohammad Moukhtari was found dead on 3 December, bearing marks of having
been strangled; and Mohammad Ja’far Pouyandeh was found dead on 11 December.
Two other dissidents – a married couple – were found murdered in their home
in the same period. After both an international and domestic outcry,
President Khatami announced that he had set up a committee to investigate
this chilling spate of killings.
On 6 January the Ministry of Intelligence released a statement saying that
the “hateful
murders” had been carried out by some of its own agents acting independently
and that these individuals had now been arrested. Such an admission of
culpability by Iran’s police is unprecedented.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
of
crimes against writers appear to have been identified and apprehended
crimes
are prevented in the future and that members of the police forces be made
fully
accountable for their actions
Appeals To
His Excellency Hojatoleslam val-moslemin Sayed Mohammad Khatami
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: +98 21 64 66 415
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
