Source: www.radiofarda.com
Translation by Iran Press Watch
Informed sources told Radio Farda that ten Baha’i women sentenced to lengthy prison terms by the First Branch of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court, presided over by Mohammadreza Tavakoli, endured various forms of “psychological torture” and “threats of physical torture” during their detention.
According to information received by Radio Farda, these women were threatened with “rape, sexual assault, fingernail pulling, sitting on an electric chair, and being scalded with boiling water” while being interrogated in the Intelligence Office building in Isfahan.
On October 23, 2023, Radio Farda reported that Yeganeh Aghahi, Yeganeh Rouhbakhsh, Negin Khademi, Shana Shoghi-Far, Mozhgan Shahrzaei, Parastoo Hakim, Arezoo Sobhaniyan, Neda Badakhsh, Neda Emadi, and Bahareh Lotfi had been detained by security forces in Isfahan and, after about two months, were released from the women’s prison in Isfahan.
The Isfahan Revolutionary Court’s First Branch sentenced eight of these women to ten years in prison and a fine of 100 million tomans, while two others received five years and a fine of 50 million tomans. Additionally, they all received two-year bans on leaving the country and using social media.
Torture and Threats of “Rape and Death” During Interrogation
Radio Farda’s information reveals that interrogators in Isfahan’s Intelligence Office used items such as “mobile phones and interrogation papers” to strike the women’s heads and faces to force them into making confessions against themselves, other detained women, and even family members and friends.
Based on the information received, interrogators from the Isfahan Intelligence Office, on multiple occasions, showed detainees boiling water and threatened to throw it on their faces. Instead, they splashed the contents of a bottle of ice-cold water on their faces.
In some cases, the interrogators placed an “electric chair” in front of these women, warning them that if they did not confess to “dictated statements,” they would be forced to sit in it and receive “electric shocks.”
The women were also reportedly subjected to hearing “sounds of other women being tortured,” with one instance designed to make a detainee believe another woman had died under torture.
According to these audio files, during the separate transfers of these women from the Isfahan Women’s Prison (Dolatabad) to the Intelligence Office building for interrogation, and in the interrogation rooms, no female officers were present. Instead, two or three male officers repeatedly threatened these women with “harassment and even sexual assault” through their behavior.
Based on information obtained by Radio Farda, “a male interrogator would sometimes get so close to these women that they could even feel his breath.”
Additionally, during the interrogations, which often lasted “over 12 hours,” if these Baha’i women requested to change their clothes due to temperature changes, the interrogators forced them to change their clothes in front of them.
Psychological Trauma Remains
Informed sources reported to Radio Farda that nearly ten months after their temporary release, some of these women are still grappling with psychological trauma from “torture threats and detention.” Some have developed “post-traumatic stress disorder” (PTSD), experiencing anxiety, flashbacks, and nightmares triggered by daily sounds or events.
Accordingly, several of these women have developed “post-traumatic stress disorder” (PTSD). They continue to experience flashbacks to the interrogation and detention scenes when they hear loud noises or encounter excitement in daily life, leading to restlessness and nightmares.
“Post-traumatic stress disorder” can occur after direct experiences of death, death threats, rape, sexual harassment, and similar events. Despite treatment, it may persist with the affected person for life.
Informed sources told Radio Farda that one of these women lost “more than five kilograms” after her release and began “medication treatment nine months later to help her return to a normal life.”
Additionally, the intensity of the “torture threats” and interrogations during detention has left one of these women “terrified of hearing her full name,” as it brings back interrogation images.
Moreover, due to the pressures experienced in detention, this woman has developed “memory issues,” struggling to recall certain events and retain some information long-term.
Confiscation of Property for the “Fund for Muslims”
The First Branch of the Revolutionary Court, in its ruling against these women, has ordered the confiscation of their mobile phones, laptops, all digital devices, any jewelry and gold they possess, as well as any amount of U.S. and Australian dollars they have, “for the benefit of the Fund for Muslims.”
The court has also sentenced eight of these women to pay a fine of 100 million tomans each, and the other two to pay a fine of 50 million tomans each.
Additionally, at the time of detention, any property deeds found in these women’s homes were also confiscated.
A few months after their detention, representatives from the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order, which operates under Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, visited the family home of at least one of these women, whose deed had been seized, to inquire about the property’s ownership.
Ownership of many lands and properties confiscated from Baha’i citizens has been transferred to the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order Headquarters following confiscation by the Revolutionary Court.
Based on this, there is concern that, in addition to the seized assets, the Revolutionary Court is attempting to confiscate the homes of these citizens in favor of the mentioned Headquarters.
Last December, the Baha’i International Community reported that, two months prior, the Islamic Republic’s security forces had arrested “40 Baha’is” and searched the homes of “nearly one hundred Baha’i families” in various cities across Iran.
On August 1 of this year, 18 United Nations reporters and experts emphasized in a letter the intensifying persecution of Baha’i women in Iran, highlighting that they face double discrimination for being both “women and Baha’is.”
The authors of this letter described the Iranian government’s actions against Baha’i women as “systematic,” citing cases of arrests, summons for interrogation, disappearances, home searches of Baha’i women, property confiscations, travel restrictions, and extended detentions.
This past May, the Revolutionary Court in Isfahan sentenced an additional 15 Baha’i women to a total of 75 years in prison on charges of “promoting” Baha’i beliefs.
Despite the presence of 300,000 Baha’is in Iran, the Islamic Republic does not officially recognize the Baha’i faith. Iranian authorities have repeatedly labeled Baha’is as “spies and enemies,” issuing numerous rulings over the past four decades for executions, arrests, imprisonment, denial of education and business rights, and the destruction of homes and cemeteries of Baha’i followers.
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