Iran: MPs Read Report About Blogger’s Death In Prison

Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission has read its report regarding the probe into the controversial death of Sattar Beheshti, an Iranian blogger who died in cyber police custody.

According to Iranian media, the report on Beheshti’s suspicious death, which was prepared in a joint meeting between the Tehran Prosecutor, the head of Tehran Police and the head of Tehran Prisons, was read today, Wednesday November 14, in Parliament.

The report confirms that Beheshti died while he was in the custody of cyber police and goes on to add that the case requires further investigation, which is to be pursued by a member of the commission who was identified only as a judge.

The head of the National Security Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, told ISNA that Mehdi Davatgari, a Maragheh MP, will head the investigation.

Even though Iran’s Prosecutor, General Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, has confirmed that bruises were seen on five areas of Behehshti’s body, according to the coroner’s reports, the parliamentary report fails to mention that and only indicates that the commission is still awaiting the coroner’s report, as well as a report from the judiciary on the investigation of the officials involved in Beheshti’s arrest and interrogation.

The Mehr News Agency also reports that a number of MPs criticized the report, calling it too vague.

Following a meeting on Monday between Parliament and judicial representatives, a member of the national security commission said it is possible that Beheshti could have died of natural causes.

Another MP has been quoted as saying that Beheshti’s death could be connected to “similar cases of fabricating deaths in 2009” by “seditious groups” who wanted to harm the system’s reputation and strengthen its opponents.

Following the controversial 2009 elections, several mass street protests were met with a violent response from the government. Many people were killed in the protests, and some were also reported to have been killed under torture in prison.

Sattar Beheshti, a 35-year-old man, was arrested on October 30 at his home in southern Tehran. His family was informed on November 6 that he had died, but no further details were given.

Sattar Beheshti ran a blog about human rights violations in Iran.