Exclusive: Description of the Tortures of Dr. Ghareh Hassanlou; Threatened with 'Beheading' in Front of His 13-Year-Old Child

As Jooad Rouhi, a young protester sentenced to death during last year's protests in Nowshahr prison, dies, Voice of America on Thursday, September 6, aired a special program detailing the torture of Dr. Hamid Ghareh Hassanlou and his wife Farzaneh Ghareh Hassanlou during and after their arrest. In this special program titled 'Threats to the Plaintiffs of the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement', audio files sent by the couple from the prisons in Karaj before their exile to the prisons in Yazd and Mashhad were broadcast, and the tortures inflicted on them were described in their own words. Dr. Hamid Ghareh Hassanlou, who was initially sentenced to death for attending the memorial of 'Hadis Najafi' in Karaj and involvement in the death of Rouhollah Ajamian, a 'Basij' member killed during the ceremony, had his sentence reduced to 15 years in prison after the intervention of international campaigns. In the audio file received by Voice of America, he stated that he participated in the memorial on Aban 12, 1401 (November 3, 2022) for his homeland and people and approached Rouhollah Ajamian solely out of conscience and 'medical oath' to save him, denying any involvement in the death of the young Basij member. He described the 'brutal' torture by government agents during his arrest, saying: 'The agents attacked our home during my arrest in the most brutal manner possible, which even ISIS and the Taliban would disavow, threatening to behead me with a knife under my throat in front of my wife and 13-year-old daughter.' He also added: 'At the time of my arrest, due to a severe blow from government agents, I hit my head against the television table, which caused serious damage to a large part of my eye's mucosa.' Dr. Hamid Ghareh Hassanlou continued: 'After being transferred to Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj, I was kept standing for 24 hours, and the agents prevented me from sleeping. In subsequent tortures, due to the severity of the blows, I suffered fractures in four ribs of my chest, and I still suffer from the effects of these tortures, while prison officials refuse to treat me.' Farzaneh Ghareh Hassanlou, Dr. Hamid Ghareh Hassanlou's wife, who was initially sentenced to 25 years in prison and later reduced to 5 years on appeal, expressed concern about her husband's condition and her longing for her family in an audio file from Kachoui prison in Karaj before their exile to Mashhad, stating that their exile is completely unjust. On Aban 12, 1401, coinciding with the memorial of Hadis Najafi, the suspicious death of a Basij member named Rouhollah Ajamian led to the arrest of 16 protesters, who received heavy sentences in a 'show trial'. Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad Mahdi Karami were among those executed in this case. The impact of the violent arrest of Dr. Ghareh Hassanlou and his wife on their children, the latest status of Dr. Hamid Ghareh Hassanlou and his wife Farzaneh, a couple imprisoned, in a conversation with Dr. Saidi Firouzabadi, Mohammad Moeini: The international attention to Dr. Ghareh Hassanlou being a physician prevented him from receiving a death sentence. Hamid Hosseini: Hamid Ghareh Hassanlou is in the hospital; it seems there was an intention to eliminate him. Severe weight loss of Dr. Hamid Ghareh Hassanlou, one of the detainees from the protests. The committee monitoring the status of detainees reported the execution of the exile sentence of Dr. Ghareh Hassanlou and other defendants in the case of 'Rouhollah Ajamian'. The confirmation of the sentences of the defendants in the case of 'Rouhollah Ajamian' by the Supreme Court; 15 years in exile for Hamid Ghareh Hassanlou. The lawyer of the Ghareh Hassanlou couple: My clients have developed serious illnesses in prison. The family of Hamid and Farzaneh Ghareh Hassanlou emphasized their innocence by publishing a 'letter of suffering'. The new sentences are from the same previous branch of the Revolutionary Court; Hamid Ghareh Hassanlou was sentenced to 15 years and his wife to 5 years in prison. The judiciary of Alborz: None of the defendants in the Ajamian case have been 'pardoned'. A family member of Hamid Ghareh Hassanlou told Voice of America: All treatment options have been closed to him. The 'Support Dr. Ghareh Hassanlou' campaign told Voice of America: He has been transferred to the hospital. The family lawyer: 'Pardon' did not include Hamid Ghareh Hassanlou.