Iran arrests former Tehran prosecutor

TEHRAN: Iranian police late Monday arrested former Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi, an ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, official media reported without stating any reason for the move. Mortazavi, Tehran’s notorious former prosecutor, was suspended in August 2010 along with two other judges over the death in prison of three anti-government protesters in the aftermath of the 2009 presidential election. A parliamentary probe found Mortazavi responsible for sending protesters to Kahrizak, a detention centre south of Tehran, and demanded that he be punished. The case is still ongoing. He was at the centre of a raucous parliamentary session on Sunday when the bad blood between Iran’s government and parliament spilled into open. A majority of MPs voted in a heated parliament session, broadcast live on state radio, to remove the labour and social welfare minister, Abdolreza Sheikholeslam, for refusing to sack Mortazavi. Mortazavi, seen close to President Ahmadinejad, had been appointed as caretaker of Iran’s wealthy social welfare organisation. afp

Home | Region