Threats, Torture And Rapes -- Protester Gives Accounts Of Abuse In Iranian Jails - IranWire |

It has been much than 40 days since Mahsa Amini died successful constabulary custody, triggering nationwide unrest that led to a brutal crackdown by information forces. According to the latest figures released by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), much than 13,000 protesters and their supporters person been arrested. Their names person not been officially announced, and the whereabouts of galore of them stay unknown. But others were capable to springiness horrific accounts of what happened during interrogations.

One of these detained protesters spoke to IranWire astir the carnal and intelligence unit helium encountered portion successful detention.

Tabriz Intelligence Bureau, Room 37

Mr. N. was arrested successful Tabriz, superior of East Azerbaijan province. A representation of him was taken during a protestation and shared connected societal media by supporters of the regime. That’s wherefore helium could beryllium rapidly identified by the information services. “Less than 2 hours aft my representation was posted I was called from an unidentified telephone number. I had returned from Tabriz to the metropolis wherever I work. Until noon I was called from unidentified numbers doubly again, but I didn’t answer. The aforesaid day I was called from a mobile telephone and I answered. The caller told maine I had to spell to the Tabriz Intelligence Bureau, country 37.”

Mr. N. did not spell to the quality office. And connected October 9, 2 agents of the Tehran Police Criminal Investigation Department and 4 agents of the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC-IO) came to his home: “The constabulary investigators treated maine with respect, but they soon near to bash their work. IRGC-IO agents took maine to Tabriz successful a car with smoke-colored windows. On the mode they asked maine wherever my mobile telephone was, and I said I didn’t person any.”

Close to Tabriz, the agents placed a small, achromatic container implicit Mr. N.’s head: “I deliberation we stopped extracurricular the metropolis due to the fact that I could perceive dogs howling acold distant and the dependable of cars driving connected the expressway. Then I heard thing that sounded similar a gross being opened.”

After getting retired of the car, the radical climbed a fewer steps and crossed a doorway. At that infinitesimal Mr. N. started proceeding voices: “I could perceive moaning and shouting. We went done a 3rd door, and they told maine to support my caput down, pulled disconnected the container from my caput and ordered maine to region my clothes.”

IRGC Intelligence’s Detention Center, Cell 19B

 Mr. N. describes the commencement of his sufferings successful detention: “Somebody imitated the dependable of a stun weapon and shouted ‘faster.’ I took disconnected my clothes. Four radical were surrounding me. One of them had his manus connected my head. They ordered maine to beryllium down and to basal up and utilized flashlight connected me. Then they gave maine a azygous of the Guards’ detention halfway and took maine to solitary confinement.”

The compartment measured 3 meters quadrate with a toilet down a partition. Mr. N.’s cellmate was a young man: “Amir was arrested successful Saqqez [in Kurdistan]. They brought him to the compartment connected the archetypal time of the protests and hadn’t visited him since then. He was getting brainsick and could not sleep. He said helium was acceptable to confess to murdering his genitor successful bid to enactment an extremity to his nightmare. They brought 1 crockery of nutrient for some of us.”

First Interrogation -- Psychologic Torture, Beatings, Forced Confession

Shortly after, Mr. N. was taken for interrogation. They tied his hands and covered his caput with a achromatic cloth: “Once again we walked astir and astir earlier climbing a fewer steps. As we entered the main building, I heard a fewer radical screaming. Somebody asked: ‘Is this the aforesaid feline we called but didn’t come?’ Then they kicked maine down my knees.”

Mr. N. fell to the ground, and idiosyncratic pulled him up: “Then they kneed maine successful my ribs. When I fell to the ground, idiosyncratic said: ‘This 1 is due to the fact that past nighttime successful the compartment you gave advices to that small dog.’” Mr. N. had advised his young cellmate to “deny everything.”

The interrogators near him connected the level and got out: “I don’t cognize whether I was conscious oregon unconscious, dormant oregon awake, but I didn’t move. When they came backmost idiosyncratic other was accompanying them. Then they removed the cloth from my head.”

They brought a young antheral into the country to torture him and unit him to confess, portion astatine the aforesaid clip trying to interruption Mr. N.’s resistance: “There were 3 decrepit woody tables successful this country that measured six meters by 3 meters. Two tables were facing each other, and a rod was placed connected the 3rd one. Clearly it was utilized to spreadeagle detainees. They had done it truthful galore times that the tables were sagging.”

The young antheral was shouting: “’I was arrested connected September 23. The 1 you are talking astir died connected September 29. Why don’t you understand?’ And the interrogator said: ‘You person been saying this for 10 days. Write down who was the proprietor of the firearms that were recovered successful the location and I volition hole the dates.’ Then the young antheral shouted that the weapons didn’t beryllium to him. This speech was repeated again and again.”

Mr. N. aboriginal recovered retired that the detainee was astir 30 years aged and was a autochthonal of Urmia, the superior of West Azerbaijan. As the interrogation continued, 1 the interrogators turned his attraction to Mr. N.: “He grabbed my hairsbreadth and pulled maine up, and enactment maine successful a presumption wherever I could spot the young antheral who was tied to the rod and the tables. It took him a precise abbreviated clip to confess. He said that if they untied him, helium would constitute down immoderate they wanted. Within seconds a bladed antheral wearing a suit came in, recorded the young man’s confession and left.”

Then it was Mr. N.’s turn: “They took the young antheral distant and started questioning me. The questioning lasted 4 hours but nary unit was used. Then they took maine backmost to my compartment and the interrogator told maine ‘See you successful 40 days.’”

Sleep Deprivation, Second Interrogation, Shoulders Dislocated

Mr. N. was brought backmost to Cell 19B. Throughout the night, they kicked the compartment doorway to forestall him from falling asleep. The adjacent morning, they took him to the interrogation country again: “They focused connected my mobile phone. I did not person my telephone with maine erstwhile I was arrested. I had told them that I did not person one. They asked questions astir 5 SIM cards that were registered nether my name. They said I had been utilizing 1 of the SIM cards until a week ago, and told maine the exemplary of my phone. I said I had sold my telephone and mislaid the SIM card.”

During this interrogation, Mr. N.’s hands were tied down the chair: “One of the interrogators lifted my hands up and pulled. Two seat legs were disconnected the floor. Then helium punched my ribs, hitting the aforesaid spot arsenic the time before. No substance however overmuch I screamed -- ‘I americium sick; I person kidney pains; I americium connected medication’ -- it didn’t help.”

Both shoulders of Mr. N. were dislocated aft the interrogator pulled his hands that were tied down the chair: “The symptom was truthful acute that I thought my spine was broken. They threatened maine they would necktie maine to the rod and permission maine successful that presumption for a agelong time. They said cipher knew I had been arrested. I repeated that I had nary mobile phone. Then an cause came successful with a laptop. He tried to entree my societal media accounts done substance messages.”

The cause said helium had recovered thing helium could usage against Mr. N.: “I lone had stored connected Telegram the telephone fig of a Telegram transmission admin. This was capable for them, and the interrogator told me: ‘Now determination is simply a cleanable complaint against you: relations with hostile media extracurricular the country.’”

Inmates Raped In Overcrowded Tabriz Central Prison

On the aforesaid day, astatine noon, Mr. N. was transferred to the Tabriz Central Prison, wherever a ample fig of detainees were being held, astir of them assemblage students: “The prison’s quarantine ward was filled to the brim. I mislaid consciousness portion I was talking to the prisoners. I don’t cognize however agelong it took maine to regain consciousness astatine the prison’s clinic. The doc did not person forms oregon stamps due to the fact that situation officials had taken them distant to forestall the transportation of detainees to an extracurricular hospital. One of the prisoners fixed my shoulders but the symptom was inactive sidesplitting me.”

Mr. N. says that what helium witnessed during his three-day enactment successful the situation shook him to his bones: “I saw with my ain eyes convulsive criminals raping precise young detainees. Some of these criminals were promised to beryllium released oregon granted a permission of lack if they harass detained protesters successful immoderate way.”

Last Interrogation, Freed On Bail, Awaiting Trial

Mr. N. was past taken to the Revolutionary Guards’ detention center. His 3rd interrogation took spot successful the beingness of respective different detainees. None of them were from Tabriz but had been arrested successful immoderate different town: “One of the detainees was charged with being a separatist. He was a young antheral and the interrogators vexed him by saying intersexual things astir his fiancee and her gorgeous body. The young antheral was screaming: ‘Kill me!’ Another detainee, a precise young one, was threatened helium would beryllium transferred to the communal ward and raped. They utilized precise obscene language. The interrogator told different detainee: ‘I volition deed your fingers with a baton truthful hard that you volition suffer the quality to write.’”

The interrogators were focused connected terrifying the detainees. One of them said: “Sixty-four radical person been successful solitary confinement present for 2 years. They were each similar you and their names person not been published successful the media.”

“I was feeling precise atrocious due to the fact that I didn’t instrumentality my medication,” says Mr. N. “I mislaid consciousness and aft a fewer hours I was taken to hospital. When I returned to the situation ward, I heard immoderate of the detainees would beryllium transferred to Evin Prison [in Tehran], but the aforesaid time the occurrence and shooting took spot astatine Evin Prison. The adjacent time they started to merchandise galore detainees connected bail. I was 1 of them and present I’m awaiting trial. I effort not to spell anyplace oregon speech to anybody due to the fact that I commencement crying erstwhile I callback what I person seen [while successful custody].”