Marzieh Hadidchi, who was imprisoned by SAVAK, describes her experience of being tortured with this device as follows, “...They placed me on a metal chair and put an iron helmet, which was connected to wires, on my head. Then, they tied my hands and feet to the chair. Suddenly, I was electrocuted (not strong enough to kill a person but it disrupted the nervous system). My body completely trembled, and my nerves were injured. I cannot explain what I felt at that moment...”
Whipping
Whipping and lashing were simpler, but more painful methods of torture used by SAVAK torturers. In this type of torture, the torturers would undress the prisoners, sometimes wetting their bodies, and whip them with various instruments. On occasion, after consecutive whippings, especially after hitting the soles of the prisoners’ feet, they would force them to walk and run. This would continue until the flesh and bones of the prisoners’ feet could be seen due to the excessive damage caused by running.
In his memoirs, one of the political prisoners said, “They whipped us so harshly that our feet swelled, and then they forced us to run.”
Regarding another instance, he says, “They made out bodies completely wet and then continuously hit us with sticks, nightsticks, fists, and kicks. I personally saw a fifteen-meter water hose being torn to pieces, such that only one meter remained, and they threw it away!” Other cases of this type of torture usually involved stripping prisoners, wetting their bodies, tying them to a chair or bed and then whipping them. Ezzat-Shahi, another political prisoner, writes about how he was tortured: “There was a bed with a metal net in the torture room. They threw me on it and handcuffed me to the sides of the bed and tied my legs together. They also covered my eyes and put cotton in my ears. There were severe wounds on my body. I was made to look like a mummy.”
Imprisonment in Dark and Filthy Prison Cells
Imprisonment is one of the common forms of punishment in many countries. Although it might seem a mild and easy form of punishment, the reality is that this form of punishment varies from place to place, and what determines its nature is the conditions of the prison. In this regard, it can be said that the imprisonment of political prisoners by the Pahlavi regime was carried out in the harshest possible manner, as the regime’s prisons lacked proper lighting and clean air, let alone basic sanitary and medical facilities. This made prisoners susceptible to various diseases. The worst form of this punishment was solitary confinement.
Mahyar Khalili, a political prisoner, writes about this type of torture: “Solitary confinement and keeping a person alone are the forms of torture that have long-lasting psychological effects... In solitary confinement, a person can only think, look at the walls, and create illusions. Such prisoners, sometimes fly with their imagination, see the sun and compare it with the darkness of the night.”
Threatening and Disrespecting the Family and Relatives of Prisoners
Threatening the families of prisoners was another method of torture employed by SAVAK and the Anti-Sabotage Joint Committee. In this method, when a prisoner did not give the necessary information to the interrogators or did not act according to their demands, the interrogator would threaten him by targeting his family members. He would disrespect or even assault them in order to make the detainee talk.
Burning the Body
Burning the prisoner’s body was another common method of torture. In this method, the interrogator or torturer would place heated metal objects, such as nails or needles on various parts of the prisoner’s body, causing them severe burns. Matches, candles, or even lit cigarettes were sometimes used for this purpose, resulting in physical wounds and burns on the prisoner’s body.
Nightstick and Electric Shock
The electrical nightstick was another tool of torture. It started being used around 1965-1966.
This tool would pass an electric current through the body of the prisoner, causing it to tremble and feel great pain.
Passing an Electric Current Through the Prisoner’s Body
Electric current was another method of torture. It was employed on the orders of the military commanders in 1953. In this method, a machine would hit the body continuously with electricity, causing pain or burns, and even damaging the nervous system.
Dripping Water
Dripping water was another common method of torture. It consisted of water slowly being dripped onto the scalp, forehead or face of the prisoner for a prolonged period of time. On face value, this may seem as a simple method, especially when the water starts dropping. However, after twenty or thirty drops, the prisoner would feel as if a heavy object is falling on their head or forehead. This method causes fear and mental deterioration in the prisoner, rather than physical pain.
Hanging
In this torture technique, prisoners were subjected to various forms of hanging, such as hanging by the hands, hanging upside down or by the feet, and hanging from the waist. In another type of hanging, the person would be tied to a wall or a large beam, causing the pressure and weight of the body to be put on the wrists, elbows and shoulders.
Shaving the hair and beard for humiliation, prolonged sleep deprivation, immersion in very hot or cold water, false executions, creating loud noises through sound recordings, isolation, leaving suspects in interrogation rooms, asking various questions and blindfolding were other methods employed by the security organizations such as SAVAK and the Anti-Sabotage Joint Committee. They varied in intensity and nature, depending on the political activities, importance and gender of the individuals. Predominantly, the torture inflicted on women was very harsh and shameful. It is also important to note that the types and numbers of these torture techniques exceed the above-mentioned examples.
Conclusion
Torturing individuals who were arrested on charges of opposing the regime was one of the primary methods employed by SAVAK and the Anti-Sabotage Joint Committee. They did so with the objective of suppressing the individuals political activities and to forcibly obtain false confessions. These important organizations, formed with the support of the United States and Israel, played a significant role in creating a pervasive atmosphere of fear and strangulation, which provoked public resentment towards the regime. There were more than one hundred methods used to torture prisoners. They were so severe and intense that they often led to the death of the prisoners. In fact, Mohammad Reza Shah believed that by creating these organizations and employing the most brutal forms of torture, he could silence the people and ensure the survival of his regime. However, contrary to his expectations, the people did not remain silent and became even more determined in their resistance, continuing their struggle until the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
Archive of The History of the Islamic Revolution
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