Detainees beaten to death at Kahrizak during the 2009 crackdown he backed
After the disputed 2009 election, protesters detained in the crackdown Khamenei endorsed were taken to Kahrizak detention centre, where at least three died after beatings. Khamenei ordered it closed in July 2009 as officials first blamed meningitis. A parliamentary inquiry blamed Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi, who years later received a two-year sentence.
Editorial timeline of public reporting, not a legal finding.
- Khamenei orders Kahrizak closed - Reuters and NBC News reported that Khamenei ordered the closure of Kahrizak detention centre. Lawmaker Kazem Jalali said it lacked 'the required standards to ensure the rights of the detainees'. The order followed the death of Mohsen Ruholamini, son of an adviser to conservative candidate Mohsen Rezaei. Iran's Khamenei orders closure of detention center
- Coroner finds Ruholamini died from beatings - CNN, citing the Mehr news agency, reported that a coroner's report found Mohsen Ruholamini died from 'repeated blows and severe physical injuries' at Kahrizak. Officials had earlier attributed his death to illness. Iran prisoner beaten to death, coroner says
- Twelve officials charged and three deaths officially acknowledged - The New York Times and BBC News reported that military prosecutors charged 12 Kahrizak staff and acknowledged for the first time that Mohsen Ruholamini, Amir Javadifar and Mohammad Kamrani had been beaten to death. Officials had for months attributed their deaths to meningitis. Iran Charges 12 at Prison Over Death of Protesters
- Parliament report blames prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi - The Guardian and Human Rights Watch reported that a parliamentary committee found that then Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi had ordered detainees sent to Kahrizak, and HRW called for his prosecution. Euronews reported in 2017 that Mortazavi was sentenced to two years in prison as an accessory to Ruholamini's murder. Iran's parliament exposes abuse of opposition prisoners at Tehran jail