Saeed Abedini: I Was Tortured in Prison

Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-American pastor who was recently released from prison as part of a prisoner swap between the Iranian and U.S. governments, stated that he was tortured for refusing to sign false confessions and was held in solitary confinement. In an interview with Fox News aired on Monday, February 5, Abedini claimed that during his time in Evin Prison, interrogators beat him, placed him in a cell with an al-Qaeda affiliated prisoner who attempted to kill him, and he witnessed the moments when individuals were taken from their cells for execution. He recounted, "During one interrogation, I was severely beaten because they wanted me to confess to things I did not do. In fact, in the courtroom, the judge closed the door and the interrogators began to beat me. After that, my stomach bled." He added, "The worst thing I saw in prison was the moments when Sunni prisoners were taken for execution. Most of them were Sunni, and some were political prisoners. I can say that most of them were executed because of their religious beliefs and faith." Saeed Abedini and his family were scheduled to participate in an event at a Christian center in North Carolina on Tuesday, but according to a spokesperson for the center, the event has been postponed due to the family's busy travel schedule. The spokesperson for the Billy Graham Training Center in Cove, which was established by Saeed Abedini and his family, stated that Mr. Abedini needs more time to be with his family and adjust to new conditions after three years in prison. Nagmeh, Saeed Abedini's wife, told Reuters last week that the couple would try to restore and improve their relationship. Mrs. Abedini, in a message to her supporters that later became public, said her husband has been behaving disturbingly towards her and has become addicted to pornography. Saeed Abedini arrived in Asheville, North Carolina, on Friday. He and his active supporter, Franklin Graham, have not yet commented on these issues. Saeed Abedini, a 35-year-old Iranian-American citizen, was sentenced to eight years in prison by the Iranian judiciary for endangering national security and attempting to establish a church in Iran. He was one of five Iranian-American citizens who were released in exchange for the pardon and freedom of seven Iranian prisoners by the U.S. government and returned to the U.S. last week. The release and exchange of these prisoners coincided with the announcement of the lifting of sanctions against Iran's nuclear program.