- A 20-year-old female protester who spent a week in jail before being freed on bond told the media that she saw torture, both physical and psychological.
- Human rights groups say at least 321 deaths and 14,800 arrests have been made since protests began in Iran.
- When I was arrested, I had been beaten. But when you witness the suffering of others, your own suffering loses significance, she says.
Despite a crackdown by security forces that local human rights advocates claim resulted in at least 321 deaths and 14,800 arrests, antigovernmental protests in Iran are entering their eighth week.
A 20-year-old female protester who spent a week in jail before being recently freed on bond told the media that she saw torture, both physical and psychological.
There are details in this article that some readers could find upsetting.
“I have been released from jail, but I feel like I am still shackled.
Since I am unable to help those who are still incarcerated, I feel like I am going to erupt with wrath. I merely want to share this testimony.
In the detention facility where we were held, there were girls as young as 15.
Two young women suffered from chronic illnesses, but our jailers refused to give them medicine. One of them panicked and fainted when she was handed a heavy prison sentence. But the security officers did not care. We asked them to call an ambulance, but a female officer said she would “be alright soon enough”.
Cancer affected a fourth woman. However, the security guards denied her access to medical attention. They rejected her medical care despite the fact that she had letters from reputable doctors stating that she needed to visit medical facilities for routine procedures.
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A 17-year-old girl expressed her biggest worry as not being able to study while in prison, which would prevent her from doing well on her final school examinations. She expressed to us her hope that her mother had informed her school administrators of her illness so that they would permit her to return to class after being treated.
At the same moment as we were arrested, a young man in his 20s was severely beaten by security personnel. They used batons to strike him in the head. He thought he was going to pass away right then. He provided us with his name and home address so that we may inform his parents of his final moments. Where they took him is a mystery to me.
Additionally, they beat up young males who were brought into the cell adjacent to ours. We could hear their shouts and the sound of the beatings. When we heard such noises, we became alarmed.
Being detained during the protests was terrible enough without having to follow any set protocols. Hour after hour, you had no idea what may occur to you. Everything hinged on the officer in charge of your case. And they lied to you repeatedly. You were held in an uncertain state.
Many demonstrators are imprisoned because they are unable to pay the high bail amounts that the judges are requiring.
Since being freed, I’ve felt as though my options are limited. My city has so many surveillance cameras placed that I feel like I’m being watched everywhere I go.
Many people have avoided bringing their cell phones to protests since doing so would put them in further danger if they were to be detained.
Some protesters used to take old “dumbphones” [basic handsets without the internet or apps] with them. But security forces have become wary of that and now accuse them of being “riot leaders”. In some cases, they have released people from detention centers and later raided their homes and seized all their electronic devices.
I sincerely hope that no one else will have to experience even a tiny fraction of what we did.
When I was arrested, I had been beaten. But when you witness the suffering of others, your own suffering loses its significance.
I can say with confidence that almost no-one cried over their own injuries – it was only over the pain of others or out of fear for their families.”
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