Iranian judges denounce reform candidate's rape 'lies'

TEHRAN, Iran - A high-level Iranian judicial panel rejected claims made by a pro-reform presidential candidate that detained protesters were raped and demanded that those making the allegations be prosecuted, the state news agency said yesterday.

The ruling ratchets up the pressure on Mahdi Karroubi, one of the most prominent reformist leaders challenging the legitimacy of the president's reelection and the entire governing system. The decision could well be a prelude to his own arrest, following earlier calls by conservative religious and security officials for his prosecution.

"The panel reached the conclusion that there is no evidence proving the rape of individuals who Karroubi claimed had been raped. These allegations are unsubstantiated . . . and documents submitted are totally fabricated and aimed at misleading public opinion," the report said.

The three-member panel, which included the top prosecutor and the deputy head of the judiciary, demanded prosecution of those "spreading lies, libel . . . and discrediting the ruling system" by making such allegations - an indirect reference to Karroubi himself.

The Supreme National Security Council, Iran's top security decision-making body, also yesterday banned the media from publishing any reports about Karroubi and fellow reformist leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, suggesting an intensification of the efforts to silence them.

The panel's decision also comes a day after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the country's reformist opposition that it would face a "harsh response" for confronting the ruling system.

Karroubi has said he received reports from former military commanders and freed prisoners that male and female detainees were savagely raped by their jailers to the point of physical and mental damage.

The former parliamentary speaker has also revealed several abuse cases in a challenge to the country's leadership, which has sought to silence such claims in the postelection crackdown.

On Tuesday, security forces raided Karroubi's office and shut down his party, the National Confidence Party, and arrested a number of his aides who had been taking testimony of abuse from released protesters.

The abuse allegations have been deeply embarrassing for the Iranian government and the clerical leadership, amid reports that several detainees were tortured to death.