Torture and Systematic Rape in prisons by police and investigators should be categorized as a Crime against Humanity.

The United Nation High Commission for Human Rights, Ms Avanethem Pillay
Amnesty International USA Executive Director, Larry Cox
Amnesty International UK Director, Ms Kate Allen

On 12 June 2009 Islamic Republic held its tenth presidential elections. With the overwhelming 82 o/o participation, it had one of the highest voter turnouts in its history of 30 years. The results, which were hastily announced, were not what people expected. Ever since then, as the world has witnessed, throughout Iran, millions have protested peacefully and in silence to demand Where is My Vote? We watched, in horror, the state-sponsored violence against men and women of all ages who were indiscriminately attacked in the street by pro-government militia with knives, batons, teargas, pepper-gas, and live ammunition.

Over 2000 people were being kept in unknown detention centers. The heavy crackdown was launched by police, the elite Revolutionary Guards and the pro-government militia, known as the Basij. They killed hundreds of protesters, kept their bodies for 2 months and gradually buried them as unknown persons while their loved ones were still waiting to hear from them.

They killed hundreds of young boys and girls in prison through use of torture, violent rape, or execution. There was systematic rape of those arrested during the recent protests especially in Kahrizak prison, torture and humiliation of arrested protesters, fabricated confessions under the guise of 'trials', and the broadcast of this torture on the state television.

The most horrific stories which, once again, shocked not only the Iranian people but shocked the world, were of the systematic rape of the young girls and boys in prison in recent days. Here is an example of the tens of stories (look at the followings link)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6805885.ece


The fact is that, in general, to prove rape or any other type of sexual abuse always is difficult because it usually happens in secret and far from any potential witness. The victim is too ashamed or frightened to report the crime. The worst type of rape in Iran is being committed by police or investigators in prisons. It is a kind of torture by humiliation, a breaking down of morale to obtain confession or to annihilate and destroy completely an individual prisoner, political group or political party. There is extensive documentation of systematic rape in Iranian prisons since 1980s. This includes Mr. Galindo Pohl's report on Human Rights situation in Iran and the letter of Ayatollah Montazari to Ayatollah Khomaini regarding both rape and sexual abuse of political prisoners. Rape has been used as a means of torture in Iran since the beginning of Islamic Republic.

The rape cases which happed during the conflict in Bosnia, Sudan, and Ruanda are already categorized as war crimes.

We demand this type of rape, which a government uses against its own people, especially against defenseless political prisoners, particularly women, clearly and transparently to be categorised as a Crime against Humanity. We are calling for all the people involved to be held accountable to the UN High Commission for Human Rights and for their prosecution in an International Court.