Blood money

How they do things in Iran. More in the Times (£) on Sattar Beheshti, the Iranian blogger who died under torture:

The mother of an Iranian blogger tortured to death in a Tehran jail has abandoned her pursuit of justice after threats to the family.

Sattar Beheshti, 35, a dissident, died in Kahrizak prison, prompting condemnation at home and abroad. The Government apparently bowed to pressure by announcing a full investigation and making several arrests but recent developments confirm fears of a cover-up.

Gohar Eshghi, Mr Beheshti’s mother, was offered 420 million rials (£22,000) in blood money by Interior Ministry officials at the weekend if she signed a form abandoning the case. When she refused the money, police produced arrest warrants for her daughter and son-in-law, according to sources close to the family. “She was told, ‘If you don’t sign ... their six-month-old daughter will be left an orphan’,” a friend said. Faced with this threat, Ms Eshghi signed the form.