Iran's State Prosecutor Says Blogger Was Beaten

December 03, 2012

Iran's state prosecutor has told reporters that blogger Sattar Beheshti, who died in police custody last month, had been beaten.

Gholam Hossein Ejehi said an investigation determined that Beheshti, 35, was beaten from the day of his arrest but said the beatings were not the cause of his death.

Ejehi said the cause of death was most likely physical or psychological shock.

Ejehi's comments come two days after the head of Tehran's cybercrimes unit, Kamal Hadianfar, was dismissed over the case.

Beheshti was taken into custody on October 30 and died in Evin prison on November 3.

Iranian authorities have arrested seven people in connection with the blogger's death.

Based on reporting by AP and Mehr