Amnesty International: Trampling Humanity; Mass Arrests, Disappearances and Torture Since Iran’s November 2019 Protests
In a report published on September 2, Amnesty International referred to the vicious human rights violations in the Iranian prisons.
“The most frequently reported methods of physical torture used against those arrested in connection with the November 2019 protests included beatings, floggings, suspension, forcing detainees into stress positions for prolonged periods, often while blindfolded or having their head covered in a bag or sack, the use of solitary confinement for 24 hours a day for periods reaching months, and the denial of sufficient food, potable water and medical treatment including medication,” read the report.
The report said: “According to information gathered by Amnesty International, torture and other ill-treatment was used for the purposes of punishment, intimidation, mocking and humiliation of detainees. It was also used as an interrogation tactic to elicit self-incriminating statements and “confessions” not just about detainees’ involvement in the protests, but also about their alleged associations with opposition groups outside Iran, human rights defenders, journalists and media organizations outside Iran, as well as foreign governments. Victims told the organization that the torture sometimes started during or immediately after arrest, when detainees were usually blindfolded before being shoved into vehicles and beaten when they asked questions about where they were being taken.”
“Amnesty International also obtained information from primary sources on interrogators belonging to security and intelligence bodies and prison officials subjecting detainees to extreme temperatures and the bombardment of light or sound over a sustained period, including at night; stripping detainees and spraying them with cold water in cold temperatures; forcible extraction of nails from victims’ fingers or toes; sexual violence and humiliation; pepper-spraying including on eyes and genital area; waterboarding; electric shocks, including to temples and testicles; mock executions; and forced administration of chemical substances — methods which correspond to patterns of torture previously documented in the country,” the report added.
Originally published at http://freedomstarblog.wordpress.com on September 2, 2020.
