Exclusive: Details of 'Torture' of Civil Activists in the 'Unofficial' Detention Center of Tabriz Intelligence

A lawyer spoke with the Persian section of Voice of America about the 'torture' and assault of several activists protesting the 'deliberate drying of Lake Urmia,' who were detained by the Tabriz Intelligence Department in 'unofficial' detention centers. Sina Yousofi, a lawyer currently residing in Berlin, stated that some of these detainees, who were released a few days ago, reported that they had been tortured, and according to him, 'the marks of torture are still on their bodies.' This lawyer added that 'Davood Shiri was tortured with a cable and electric shock,' and the effects are visible on his body, while 'Araz Ebrahimnejad' has also been tortured. He mentioned that there is 'no accurate news' about other civil activists currently detained, but those who have been released reported that Ali Babaei was injured in the head and Javad Sudbar suffered dental injuries—his tooth was broken—and Yurosh Mehrali Beigloo is beaten daily. Sina Yousofi emphasized that 'these activists are under torture to confess to charges they did not commit.' According to this lawyer, the 'detention centers of the Tabriz Intelligence Department,' known as 'black sites,' are located in 'the center of Tabriz city near the northern garden.' Tabriz Intelligence officials keep the 'detained individuals' in these 'unofficial' detention centers and, as Yousofi stressed, 'they are subjected to systematic interrogations and information extraction.' Yousofi added that 'various types of torture are carried out there,' a location whose map can be seen in aerial images provided to Voice of America by this lawyer. Sina Yousofi emphasized that this 'unofficial' detention center is located in 'the center of Tabriz city' and 'near the clock square,' and 'on the aerial map, the house of the representative of the leader (of the Islamic Republic) in Iran, namely the Imam Jom'e of Tabriz,' can be seen, which is 'behind the house of the Imam Jom'e of Tabriz.' Yousofi, who himself was detained in '2007' during the late stages of his undergraduate studies and transferred to the 'unofficial' detention center of Tabriz Intelligence, told Voice of America that there are 'several cells there. It may have changed shape now,' but 'there is an underground area used for torture.' According to this lawyer, officials of the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Intelligence 'threaten individuals in this place. Various types of torture are carried out there. One of the common tortures is depriving activists of sleep. That is, individuals are kept standing for long periods. For example, they are kept standing for 10 days without sleep until they are on the verge of unconsciousness, and when they want to sleep, cold water is thrown on them to wake them up again.' He also emphasized that these actions 'have been carried out on activists,' and 'many civil activists who have come out of detention can prove it. They can testify that these actions have been carried out against them.' This human rights lawyer, regarding the latest situation of detainees protesting the 'drying of Lake Urmia,' said: 'Javad Sudbar and Ali Babaei have been in detention for over 90 days. Recently, Javad Sudbar was allowed to contact his family to inform them about his situation.' According to him, Javad Sudbar, who contacted his relatives on December 7, said that 'if they keep them in uncertainty, they will go on hunger strike, which they started on that day,' and simultaneously his wife, 'Elham Habibi,' who is not in detention, has also gone on hunger strike alongside this civil activist. Yousofi emphasized that 'there is no news about Ali Babaei's situation.' He added: 'At the beginning of the detention, 90 days ago, he was able to make a call and inform his family about his situation, and after that, there has been no news from him.' He also said, 'Activists who have been released have testified about his torture and said he was tortured and injured in the head,' and 'Mehrali Beigloo has also been in detention for over 35 days, and on the sixth day of his detention, he was able to make a call, but unfortunately, there has been no news from him since then, and his situation is unclear.' This lawyer emphasized: 'These activists are under pressure to confess to charges such as propaganda against the regime, forming groups, and conspiracy and collusion. By conspiracy and collusion, they mean that they intended to protest the deliberate drying of Lake Urmia and were arrested for that and are under torture to confess.' He also mentioned that 'Milad Jalili has been in detention since December 7.' He is a 'rapper' who 'released a song mentioning the names of the recently detained.' Milad Jalili 'is in the custody of the Intelligence Department of the Law Enforcement.'