True face of the Iranian regime
This is a translation of the report by a survivor from Camp Kahrizak, or the Death Camp, as it has come to be known in Iran. It must be said that similar reports abound in Farsi language websites and weblogs. Kahrizak has been ordered closed by Khamenei, no doubt due to the word spreading fast regarding the extreme and sadistic barbarity of the regime's thugs at this prison camp.
We call on all freedom-loving people to spread the word. The perpetrators of these crimes against humanity must be pursued and brought to justice. Please pressure the American leftist publications you read to reflect the extent of this barbaric regime's crimes against humanity; write to the editors of American leftist magazines and website that have remained silent, and demand that they stand with the Iranian people in this darkest hour of our recent history.
Down with this theocracy!
Long live the people's movement for freedom and justice!
The Catastrophic Killings at Camp Kahrizak
I don't know where to begin! If there are spelling and grammar mistakes in this report of the Iranian Guantanamo, Camp Kahrizak, forgive me, because I am in great hurry and must go soon. Now that I am writing this is July 28. This morning, along with several others, we miraculously escaped certain death. And just now, I got home from hospital and immediately sat down to create this weblog.I was arrested July 9th (18th Tir, in Iranian calendar). I am 21 years old. Now, as I write this, I still cannot believe that I was freed. In the July 9th demonstrations, with a friend of mine we were on a motorcycle and my friend was filming things with his mobile phone, when we were attacked by several plainclothes people. A woman came to rescue us from under the blows of these guys, when that poor woman too got beaten severely. They threw us into a minibus full of others who had been beaten up and were injured like us. The minibus took us to the police station. We were so beaten up I don't even know where we were. Then they lined us up against the wall, and my friend and I were standing next to each other. Then a buffed up plainclothes man came in and took out every other one of us, and with a kick put us on a minibus, and from that point on I have no idea what happened to my friend, and they took us along with tens of others to Kahrizak. You can't believe it, but the room they took us to had some 200 people in it. Everybody injured from blows by truncheons; sounds of wailing everywhere. I thought to myself, What are they going to do to us? Maybe tomorrow we'll go to the court. Prisoners. That's better than being here. There was no place to sit. Blood smeared all over the walls.
I was thinking of my friend, because he's not one of those kids that can endure places such as this. In the meantime, some people started wailing and crying, and said one person had died. The voices came from the back of the room, but you may not believe it, we were all stuck together and could not move at all. The plainclothes guards came inside and broke the light bulbs, and in pitch darkness they started beating people up. They beat anybody who was in front of them. For half an hour they beat us severely. Several people got beaten so badly that they went into coma, or maybe they died.
Then, some flashlights came on, pointed at our faces. They said, "If you make a noise we'll stick these truncheons in your ... " I couldn't believe this. I thought I was in a nightmare.
Sadegh, who seemed to be their superior, took the corpse of the dead guy, put him up against the wall, flashed the light on him and said, "We have orders to kill you all. So, if you're lucky, you won't end up dead like this mother#$@*#$! Don't make a sound! If you're alive in the morning, you're alive. If not, then ..."
He said, "You are mohaarebeh (fighting goodness). You know what is mohaarebeh?" There was a boy up front, 16 maybe 17 years old. Sadegh took him by the neck, "Tell these guys what is mohaarebeh!" The boy said he didn't know. "Like hell you don't know!" He started beating him, "Say it! Say it! Say it!" He beat the kid so much he passed out. Then he said it means Satan. It means doing bad. He beat him so much that some others started protesting loud. And they too got beat to a pulp.
In that room we were in, at least four people died until morning.
Sadegh [the head guy] yelled out: There are no western toilets or toothbrushes here, just do your thing right here!!! Got it?
There were no un-injured people among us, and everybody had clotted blood on their faces like me, or had swollen eyes like me, or like many others had broken arms and legs. Due to the pitch darkness, I couldn't see most people.
When they'd open the door, the light would hurt our eyes severely in a strange way. The day after and the days after that were spent in the worst possible conditions, to describe which would take a long time. In order to stave off starvation, each day, we didn't know whether it was day or night, they would give us a sack of leftover food, which we ate with delight. Inside the sack were some pieces of bread, raw vegetables and rice. One of the people among us, his name Dr. Zaare' who said he was a physician, was responsible to divide out the food. I only knew him and some other fellow prisoners only by voice since for several days I had only heard them [and not seen them]. After several days, Sadegh came in with some light bulbs, and they took us to the outside area of the camp. Oh my; it was like the feeling of freedom for us. The blue sky and the sunshine had a sense of newness for us. (Incidentally, I should say that they took us outside so that we could take out our garbage and feces.) I apologize for writing like this but in some time, when others are freed from prisons, especially from Camp Kahrizak, they can explain things better for you, and I am sure that this camp, in some respects, has very much outdone Guantanamo and Abu Ghuraib during these days. In any case, we were told by Sadegh's goons that we were lucky that without any trial (!), yesterday morning, due to the overflowing crowdedness of the camp we were thrown out. And they threatened us that if we said a word anywhere, they would murder us. I immediately contacted my family, using a passerby's mobile, and they came to get me. Taste of freedom is very sweet. But, remember that right now thousands are suffering the worst conditions in Kahrizak.
Incidentally, I'll tell you the names of some people who, during this time, lost their lives and whose names I committed to memory. And, by the way, if these animals had taken these people to the hospital, they would be alive today: Hasan Shapouri (student); Reza Fataahi (student); Milad no Sir-name (the 16-17-year old boy that on the first night was beaten into a coma by Sadegh and they took him with them; but the doctor who was our fellow prisoner, and was our senior so to speak, said he was bleeding from his ear and mouth, and sadly had died); Morteza Salahshoor; Morad Aghasi; Mohsen Entezami.
[...]
My God, please free us from these people's cruelty! I can't believe where I was only 24 hours ago. My God, please hurry and save us all Iranians and freedom-seekers.
Incidentally, I think it is possible that with all the changes that have occurred in Camp Kahrizak, the detention center that the corrupt leader is about to close down is Camp Kahrizak. Because many people have been killed there.
With hopes of freedom for those imprisoned in Kahrizak,
Reza Yaavari (my pseudonym)
July 28, 2009
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