A Tehran Military Court Tuesday sentenced five interrogators of the serial murders’ case to prison terms for allegedly insulting and harassing the suspects.
The Judiciary Department of Iran's Armed Forces announced that the interrogators received lashes and prison terms ranging between one to five years following complaints by suspects that they had been insulted and harassed.
In addition, the Department further reported that the interrogators have asked
for an appeal, according to IRNA.
The Military Court last January convicted some 18 agents from the Iranian Ministry of Information for involvement in the 1998 murder of nationalists Darioush and Parvaneh Forouhar, and writers Mohammad Mokhtari and Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh, better known as the case of the 'serial murders'.
The case’s mastermind, Saeed Emami, who had served as a high profile ministry official for more than twenty years committed suicide in his prison cell before trial.
Three defendants of the case received death sentences and five others life imprisonment while seven were sent to jail for shorter terms. Seven were acquitted.
The Minister of Information Ali Younessi last February said that the judge's decision should be 'conclusive' and the case effectively closed.
However, around 100 parliamentary deputies have since signed a petition asking for further clarification on the circumstances of the murders.
Moreover, the Supreme Court in August reversed several verdicts demanding the re-examination of the case. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
