Pressure on Mohammad Davari for Confessions Continues Despite Hunger Strikes

Today a human rights activist told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that Mohammad Davari has twice gone on temporary hunger strikes in prison. Yet, this source said, Mohammad Davari is still being subjected to mistreatment, and physical and psychological abuse with the aim of extracting fake confessions from him. It is feared that continuation of these conditions would put the journalist in danger.

Mohammad Davari served as Mehdi Karroubi’s Chief of Staff and as Editor-in-Chief of Saham News until his arrest last September. Mr. Davari has been told not only to deny claims and evidence produced by Mehdi Karroubi regarding systematic torture and instances of rape of men and women at prisons and detention centers where protesters were taken, but also to testify against his colleagues.

Last year Mehdi Karroubi announced that he had irrefutable evidence about cases of prison rape. He said that he had video tapes and photographs of victims, and he had evidence which confirmed the crimes had taken place. Iran’s judicial and security organizations have never accepted Karroubi’s charges and have tried to destroy the supporting documents and evidence. In at least two cases during interviews with rape victims, ICHRI learned that the victims were under pressure to keep the events a secret.

Mohammad Davari is a member of The Iranian Teachers’ Association. He was arrested on 8 September 2009 after security forces stormed Mehdi Karroubi’s personal offices as well as Etemad-e Melli Party’s headquarters.