Blogger’s Death Investigated, Iran to Hold Syrian Dialogue

Photo Credit: The National

The Iranian parliament began investigating the death of Iranian blogger Sattar Beheshti, who died in police custody after being arrested on charges of “actions against national security on social networks and Facebook.” Prosecutor Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi said, “The coroner’s office has provided a detailed report saying that signs of wounds were found in five places on this person’s body.” Iranian news agency Shabekeh-ye Iran reported(Farsi) that three of Beheshti’s interrogators have been arrested. The U.S. State Department released a statement saying “Beheshti is just one of thousands of victims of the Iranian government’s campaign of violent repression,” and called the death “suspicious.”

Meanwhile, Iran announced it will host a Syrian national dialogue meeting next week. “Syrian government officials as well as representatives of ethnic, political, minority, and opposition groups will attend this meeting,” said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister of Arab African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian. There is no indication that the recently formed Syrian National Coalition will attend the talks, which will center around ending the violence in Syria and promoting diplomacy.