They have dismissed him, attempted to silence him and threatened him with arrest.
But Iran's Islamic hardliners so far have failed to stifle opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi's claims that post-election detainees have been abused -- some even raped -- behind bars.
Actually, the 72-year-old cleric has grown increasingly defiant in recent weeks. His latest move: going public with a first-hand account from a detainee who says he was raped in a Tehran prison.
"I was in prison, blindfolded and tied down. They beat me almost to death and did the most despicable thing to me, which is rejected even by all infidels and idol worshipers and I only had the courage to make Mr. Karrubi aware of this," the unidentified male says in a statement posted Monday on Karrubi's party Web site.
The male says he spoke to Karrubi after his release and "I was convinced that if someone is raped -- while his hands and feet are tied and he has not powers to defend himself -- not only has he not committed a sin, but he has been victimized."
Karrubi said the man's account is the tip of the iceberg, and that he will continue posting accounts on the Web site if "the current trend continues."
Iranian government officials could not be reached late Monday. However, the government this month firmly denied Karrubi's rape allegations, dismissing them as lies.
Karrubi, along with opposition candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi, ran against hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 election. Despite reformists crying foul, Iran's election authority declared Ahmadinejad the overwhelming winner, driving hundreds of thousands of Iranians to the streets in protest.
