Another Bloody Day In Tehran

Mehdi Karroubi, an Iranian reform leader and cleric, is a former speaker of Parliament known as a conciliator. He was a presidential candidate in the discredited elections of June 12, 2009.

In early August, Mr. Karroubi published on his party Web site the account of a young man who was arrested after the elections and said he was raped by his jailers. The accusations of rape -- usually a taboo subject in Iran -- have multiplied and provoked strong reactions among Iranians and government officials.

Mr. Karroubi has defied the nation's top leaders who have tried, with little success, to discredit and silence charges of rape and torture. He warned that this was only a "fragment" of the evidence he had and that if the denials did not stop, he would release even more. He has reportedly said that four people told him they had been raped.

The conflict over the presidential election has undermined the legitimacy and credibility of the government and caused deep division in the ranks of the political and clerical elite.