IRANIAN protesters dressed in prison-style uniforms cowered
behind makeshift bars near the entrance to Downing Street on
Saturday, in a re-enactment of an attack on prisoners which is said
to have taken place on Maundy Thursday in Evin prison, Tehran.
The drama was staged to draw attention to the plight of the
occupants of Ward 350 in Evin, where many political prisoners are
held.
A statement from Lord Carlile of Berriew, who co-chairs the
Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom, was read out on Saturday.
It said that prisoners were "savagely attacked" over the course of
five hours by "100 revolutionary guards, intelligence elements, and
the prison's special anti-riot guards".
Prisoners were "severely wounded and suffered severe bleeding
and broken bones in the head and ribs". The attacks had been
"mainly directed" at those who were charged with affiliation with
the People's Mojahedeen Organisation of Iran (PMOI), an outlawed
Iranian opposition group, it said.
On Wednesday of last week, Christian Solidarity Worldwide
reported that Farshid Fathi, an Evangelical church leader, was
among those injured. Amnesty International says that at least 32
prisoners have been transferred to solitary confinement.
On Saturday, Elaheh Azimfar, from the National Council of
Resistance in Iran, said that the attack was the climax of a
campaign of harrassment against political prisoners that began last
month. The Council is demanding that the Red Cross be permitted to
visit the prisoners, and that the UN conduct an independent inquiry
into events.