Families fear for those missing in Iran

CAIRO, Egypt - Several dozen families camp outside Iran's daunting Evin prison, trying to learn the fate of loved ones who vanished in postelection turmoil. A month into the government crackdown, the number of killed and arrested remains unknown, but human-rights groups believe the death toll is far higher than the official figure of 20.

Many of at least 500 known to have been arrested have disappeared in prisons, held in secret locations and barred from contact with families. Rights groups say that perhaps dozens of others have not been heard of since the protests and that their relatives still cannot determine whether they are locked up or dead.

Over the weekend, about 50 men and women held vigil in Tehran before the gates of Evin, the main prison for political detainees, waiting for news on whether their relatives are inside, a witness told the Associated Press. Some of the women read aloud softly from the Quran; others chanted "God is great" from time to time. But mostly they stood silent, a witness said.

"They will call you soon. Go home and wait for the phone to ring," a police officer told them.

But the families remained in place. The witness spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution from authorities.

The crackdown on the huge rallies that broke out after Iran's disputed June 12 presidential election was chaotic. Not only regular police but also plainclothes Basij militiamen linked to the elite Republican Guards were involved in beating or firing on protesters, dragging some away in covered trucks to unknown locations.

The protests were sparked when opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi contended that he was the victor and that official results showing a victory for hard-line incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were fraudulent.

At the same time, security forces launched a sweep that continues weeks later against pro-reform politicians, lawyers, journalists, and women's rights and other activists. Many were arrested from their homes or offices, and the roundup effectively stripped away a senior level of the reform movement's political leadership.

It took 26 days for the family of Sohrab Aarabi, 19, to learn his fate after he disappeared during a June 15 protest. After weeks of asking at courts and prisons for him, his family was told Saturday that he had been shot in the chest during the protest and died, the New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported. But it was not known if he died immediately of his wounds, was hospitalized, or detained at any point.

Hadi Ghaemi, spokesman for the rights group, said there could be "dozens or even hundreds" of missing people like Aarabi, based on accounts from inside Iran that his group is investigating. "They are people who simply went off the radar screen. . . . There's no confirmation if they are in prison or dead. Their families are searching everywhere and not getting answers."

Iranian police said 20 protesters were killed in Tehran. The country's general prosecutor said last week that 2,500 people were arrested across the country and that of those, 500 remain in prison. He promised the 500 would be brought into the judicial system soon - meaning they would be put on trial or processed for release.

The government has produced no list of dead or arrested. Independent efforts to track the numbers are made even harder by families' fears of talking about their killed or detained loved ones. Opposition Web sites report that families of slain protesters are given their loved ones' bodies for burial only after promising that the funerals will be discreet and will not feature political chants.

"Many people believe that countrywide the death toll is 100 or more," Ghaemi said. "The trend coming to us is that it could be several times what the government has admitted."

Dozens of relatives of detainees gathered yesterday in Tehran to exchange news. The wives of two prominent pro-reform politicians, Mohsen Mirdamadi and Mostafa Tajzadeh, said they had received no news about their husbands.

"No official responded to us over the fate of detainees," said Mirdamadi's wife, Zahra Mojarradi. "This is a sign of lawlessness in the country."

Iranian opposition leader

Mir Hossein Mousavi will create an umbrella group made up of reform-minded political parties, a top aide said yesterday.

It was the clearest sign yet of how Mousavi will procede after the disputed June 12 election.

Ali Reza Beheshti said a network "would coordinate efforts by groups that seek to promote democracy and challenge hard-liners."

Beheshti said Mousavi was working out details with other reform leaders and planned to announce the new "political front" soon.

Mousavi contends that he won the election and that results showing a victory for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were fraudulent.

- Associated Press

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