Midday Roundup: Saeed Abedini suffers another beating in prison

Beaten. Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini was attacked and beaten by his fellow prisoners last week, lawyers with the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) announced Thursday. Abedini has been in prison in Iran for almost three years after being tried and convicted on charges related to his work with the house-church movement in Iran. According to the ACLJ, the other prisoners pounced on Abedini as he was attempting to leave his cell. They also destroyed a table he was using to read and study. When Abedini called for help, guards intervened. He did not suffer any broken bones. Abedini’s wife, Nagmeh, testifed before Congress last week along with families of other Americans detained in Iran. She said she worried about her husband’s physical and mental health. “It is heartbreaking to me and my family that Saeed was again beaten in prison,” she said after learning about the latest incident. “Saeed’s life is continuously threatened not only because he is an American, but also because he is a convert from Islam to Christianity. It’s time to get Saeed home before it is too late.”

Canceled. Organizers have called off this year’s Iowa Straw Poll, saying the event that was once a bellwether for the Republican presidential nomination has lost its relevance. Candidates once forked over piles of cash to put their names in the running and bring in supporters to vote in the straw poll, a fundraiser for the Iowa Republican Party. But the poll has declined in prominence, and this year, many of the GOP’s top candidates—including Sen. Marco Rubio, R.-Fla; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker—planned to ditch the event. The governing board of the Iowa Republican Party voted unanimously today to cancel it. “We set the table and they didn't come to dinner,” Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann told The Des Moines Register and Radio Iowa.

Probable cause. A Cleveland judge ruled yesterday prosecutors have probable cause to bring charges against a white police officer in the shooting death of a 12-year-old African-American boy wielding a toy gun. Prosecutors say they’ll still present the case to a grand jury. A group of eight local activists asked the judge to step in when nothing had been done almost seven months after the incident that killed Tamir Rice. Judge Ronald Adrine used a little-known provision of Ohio law to urge prosecutors to take up the case. “State law does provide an avenue for a private citizen with knowledge of the facts to initiate the criminal process,” the judge wrote. As with other recent officer-involved shootings, the Cleveland incident was caught on video, giving activists and Rice’s family some insight into what happened. Officer Timothy Loehmann shot Rice after the child pointed a lifelike pellet gun at him. The officer said he did not know it was a toy.

Accomplice? The Clinton County district attorey said today investigators in New York have more information about the help a prison employee provided to escaped murderers who have been on the lam for almost a week. Joyce Mitchell allegedly gave Richard Matt and David Sweat hacksaw blades, drill bits, and glasses with lights attached to them. She worked as the supervisor at a prison shop where the men were assigned to work duty. Prison officials had previously received a complaint about Mitchell’s relationship with one of the men. Although she has allegedly admitted to helping the men escape, Mitchell has not been charged with anything. Matt and Sweat cut their way out of the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y., last weekend.

Expelled. The Pakistani government has closed the offices of international charity Save the Children in its capital, Islamabad, locking the building’s gate and telling all foreign nationals to leave the country within 15 days. Officials with the charity say they have no idea why the government has taken action against them. “Save the Children was not served any notice to this effect. We strongly object to this action and are raising our serious concerns at the highest levels,” the organization said. “All our work is designed and delivered in close collaboration with the government ministries across the country, and aims to strengthen public service delivery systems in health, nutrition, education and child welfare.” None of the charity’s 1,200 employees in Pakistan are foreign nationals, officials said.