Iran Teen Describes, Via Email, His Torture

(NEWSER) - The Iranian regime’s first response against pro-Mousavi protesters last week was not the Revolutionary Guard but its volunteer branch, the Basij militia, CNN reports. Iran says the militia, created by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, numbers 12 million; the actual count is probably a smaller—but still effective—300,000. “Basij members made up with zeal what they lacked in military professionalism,” an expert said. More»

(NEWSER) - Iranian protesters, both male and female, were raped in a notorious prison in the aftermath of the disputed presidential election, one of the defeated candidates alleged today. Reformist Mehdi Karroubi wrote on his website that senior prison officials told him about "really shameful issues," including sexual violence that "caused serious injuries." Last week Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the prison closed; its director has been arrested. More»

(NEWSER) - Iranian police beat demonstrators gathered in a Tehran cemetery to mourn victims of post-election violence, including Neda Agha-Soltan—the 26-year-old whose killing was witnessed by hundreds of thousands on YouTube. A witness told Reuters that some mourners were arrested. Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi defied threats from the Revolutionary Guards and tried to attend the ceremony, but he was forced back into his car minutes after arriving. More»

In-law stays despite pro-Israel comments

(NEWSER) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has defied a direct order from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to dismiss his vice president, opening a rift between Iran's president and supreme leader, reports the Los Angeles Times. Ahmadinejad's newly chosen VP, who is his son's father-in-law, has infuriated hardliners by making favorable remarks about Israel. But Ahmadinejad surprised the Iranian elite by keeping him in office, saying, "He is very loyal to the Islamic Revolution and a servant of people." More»

(NEWSER) - Iranian opposition candidates issued a statement today demanding an end to the “savage, shocking attacks” against protesters, and calling for the release of innocent people arrested in the government’s post-election crackdown, the New York Times reports. “The useless wave of arrests must end immediately,” read the statement, signed by Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and former president Mohammad Khatami. More»