Iranian MPs want torture banned

Reports from Iran say 175 members of parliament have signed a petition calling for a constitutional ban on the use of torture to be properly enforced.

According to the Iran Daily newspaper, the petition said any act subjecting prisoners to physical or psychological distress, interrogating them at night, depriving them of sleep, using insulting language and keeping them in solitary confinement were all banned under the constitution.

The petition called for a council to be set up to supervise the treatment of prisoners.

It said council members should be allowed to inspect prisons at any time and to report any act of torture.

Correspondents say it is rare for the issue of torture to be raised so publicly in Iran.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service