Iran offers 'proof' of CIA torture

[Superlative]

Iranian state television has shown officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross examining an Iranian diplomat who has accused the CIA of torturing him while he was detained in Iraq.

Jalal Sharafi was shown in a hospital bed being examined by Peter Stocker from the ICRC and the Iraqi ambassador in footage broadcast on Wednesday.
During the examination, the voice of a doctor could be heard describing how Sharafi - formerly the second-most senior official in Iran's embassy in Baghdad - had been beaten with a cable during his detention.
After his visit to the diplomat, Stocker told The Associated Press that he saw wounds on Sharafi's body that "were several weeks old", but said he did not know how the injuries occurred.

"I cannot say who did it and where it happened," the ICRC official said. "I can only say that it happened during his detention."

Stocker was accompanied to the hospital by Majid Sheikh, the Iraqi ambassador to Iran.

Diplomat accuses US

Earlier in the week, Sharafi's Iranian doctors had reported that holes had been drilled into his foot, but the TV images were not clear enough to indicate whether the small, red marks on his foot were indeed holes.

Doctors also reported earlier that he had suffered a broken nose, serious injuries to his back, bleeding in his digestive system, and damage to his ears.

None of these injuries has been independently verified, nor were they discernible from the TV footage.

A spokeswoman for the ICRC in Tehran, Katayoun Hosseinnejad, confirmed the visit to Sharafi had taken place and said it had been initiated by the Iranians.

Sharafi was released from Iraq last week and later said that the CIA had questioned him about Iran's relations with Iraq and its assistance to various Iraqi groups.

US officials have repeatedly said that Iran provides money and weapons to Shia militias in Iraq. Iran has denied this.

On Wednesday the US military put more weapons on display in Baghdad that it said were made in Iran.

An army spokesmen said that Iran had trained Iraqi insurgents in the use of roadside bombs as recently as last month

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/4561153B-1B4D-4661-B3F4-A9294191C9C3.htm

 

[hjmick]

While I do not believe it beyond the realm of possibilty that the CIA would torture someone, I'll need the word of someone more credible the the Iranian government. Let's face it, it is certainly possible that the Iranians would beat and torture their own citizens and blame the U.S.

 

[90K]

I wouldn't not put it past the CIA to take measures into there hands. I mean that is why they work for our government to insure we are kept safe. And the CIA has foiled a lot of crimes because of there tactics. I can say I sleep well every night because they are the eye in the sky keeping us all safe and nobody in this country should take that job for granted. Iran on the other hand will go to any length to make this about our government and try to under mind every detail in iraq.