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TEHRAN, Iran -- Tehran's former chief prosecutor on Sunday rejected a parliamentary report blaming him in part for the torture and deaths of at least three anti-government protesters during the turmoil after June's disputed presidential election.

Saeed Mortazavi said the parliamentary report contained "mistakes and deficiencies" and let the media implicate him. He also accused lawmakers of showing sympathy for a "bunch of hooligans."

The head of the parliamentary committee that probed the prisoners' abuse stood by the report and called for Mortazavi's prosecution.

"A trial needs to be held to investigate the issue, and Mr. Mortazavi has to present his claims in court," lawmaker Parviz Sorori was quoted by the semi-official Mehr news agency as saying Sunday. The probe was carried out on the "basis of documents that are available and undeniable," added the conservative Sorori.

After months of denials, Iran's judiciary acknowledged last month that three detainees swept up in the crackdown on opposition supporters after the June election were beaten to death by their jailers. That confirmed one of the opposition's most devastating claims against authorities and the elite Revolutionary Guard forces that led the crackdown.

Anger over the abuse charges, which first emerged in August, extended far beyond the reformist camp, with influential conservative figures in the clerical hierarchy condemning the mistreatment of detainees.

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