Kin fear for lives of those missing after Iran poll riots

The crackdown on the gigantic rallies that broke out after Iran’s disputed June 12 presidential election was chaotic. The number of killed and arrested remains unknown, but human rights groups believe the death toll is far higher than the official figure of 20.

Several dozen families camp outside Iran’s daunting Evin prison, trying to learn the fate of loved ones who vanished in post-election turmoil.
Many of at least 500 known to have been arrested have disappeared in prisons, held in secret locations and barred from contact with families.

Not only regular police, but also plainclothes Basiji militiamen linked to the elite Republican Guards were involved in beating or firing on protesters, dragging some away in covered trucks to unknown locations.

Over the weekend, about 50 men and women held vigil in Tehran before the gates of Evin, the main prison for political detainees, waiting for news on whether their relatives are inside. “They will call you soon. Go home and wait for the phone to ring,” a police officer told them. But the families remained in place.