TEHRAN: Three anti-government protesters who died in a notorious jail have been dubbed "martyrs" by an Iranian official body, a move which would ensure benefits for their families, a report said on Wednesday.
Mohammad Kamrani, Amir Javadifar and Mohsen Ruholamini have been named as "martyrs" by Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veteran Affairs, the hardliner Kayhan newspaper reported.
"After the bitter events of last year’s election which led to crimes in Kahrizak prison, the three deceased there were pronounced as martyrs," it reported, quoting an unnamed source from the foundation.
The family of a person declared a martyr will be "offered various facilities in the cultural, social, economical and welfare fields," the website of the foundation said.
The deaths of the three men caused major embarrassment to the Islamic republic, which after months of denial acknowledged the protesters had died at the Kahrizak detention centre due injuries inflicted while in custody.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the closure of Kahrizak following the reports of abuse.
In June, a military court sentenced two men to death in connection with the deaths. Tehran’s feared ex-prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi was held responsible in a parliamentary probe for sending post-vote detainees to Kahrizak.
Dozens of people died in clashes with security forces in anti-government protests which broke out in Iran, mainly in Tehran, after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s win in a June 2009 poll which the opposition charged was rigged.
