Mohammad Pouyandeh, an art critic and translator active in calls for freedom of expression, was found dead in the town of Shahriar on the outskirts of Tehran, the government newspaper Iran said. Iran said the victim had been ``strangled by a person or persons who did not remove his watch or gold ring,'' but took his identity papers.

Pouyandeh is the third Iranian writer to have died in mysterious circumstances recently in Tehran, following Mohammad Mokhtari and Majid Sharif.

The killings have led to a wave of fear among dissident intellectuals and pressure on the authorities to pursue the matter more actively.

About 50 Iranian authors appealed to President Mohammad Khatami today to ensure their safety.

``We wish to call on the chief executive who is responsible for the safety of citizens toput an end to this offensive situation by any means possible,'' the writers said in a letter published in newspapers.

``Disaster comes after disaster and there is no one to give an answer,'' they added. ``The heart-breaking murders of authors in recent months are proof of unbridled violence which is out to eradicate freedom, destroy public peace and disturb civil society.''