Iran Accuses United States Of Kidnapping Iranians

Mohammad Javad Larijani

GENEVA (Reuters) -- Iran's top human rights official today accused the United States of kidnapping and illegally detaining Iranians.

Mohammad Javad Larijani, secretary-general of the Iranian High Council for Human Rights, made his remarks to reporters in Geneva.

He said U.S. authorities are holding six or seven Iranians, including Shahram Amiri, a nuclear scientist who disappeared a year ago.

His comments come a day after Iranian television broadcast a video purportedly of Amiri saying he had been drugged, abducted, and tortured by the CIA.

In March, the U.S. television network ABC said Amiri had defected and was helping U.S. intelligence agencies.

U.S. intelligence officials have not commented on the case.