His Letter From Prison
Excerpts from a letter Saeed wrote from prison in his first year of arrest. This letter recounts some of the torture he endured.
"My name is Saeed Malekpour. I was arrested on October 4, 2008 in Tehran by plainclothes agents who did not present an arrest warrant or identification. My arrest resembled an abduction. I was handcuffed, blindfolded and placed in the back of a Sedan. A heavy-set agent leaned his weight on me by positioning his elbow on my neck, and forcing my head down during the car ride. When we arrived to an undisclosed location they called “the Technical Office”, a few agents severely beat and verbally abused me. While I was handcuffed and blindfolded, they forced me to sign a few sheets of paper that I was unable to see or read."
"While I remained blindfolded and handcuffed, several individuals armed with their fists, cables, and batons struck and punched me. At times, they would flog my head and neck. Such mistreatment was aimed at forcing me to write what the interrogators were dictating and to compel me to play a role in front of the camera. Sometimes, they used extremely painful electrical shock that would paralyze me temporarily. Once, the interrogators stripped me while I was blindfolded and threatened to rape me with a water bottle."
"One of those very days, as a result of being kicked, punched, and lashed with cables on my head and face, my face became very swollen. I lost consciousness several times, but each time they would wake me up by splashing water on my face [and continued with the torture]. That night, they returned me to the solitary confinement cell. I realized my ear was bleeding, so I banged on the door of my cell, but nobody came. The next day, while half of my body was paralyzed, and I was unable to move, they took me to the clinic located in Evin Prison. The doctor, after seeing my condition, emphasized that I should be transferred to a hospital. However, I was returned to my cell instead, and I was left alone until nighttime. Three guards eventually transferred me to a hospital outside the prison."
"Before I was able to be examined by the doctor, one of the guards met with the doctor on duty in the emergency room, then I entered a few minutes later. The doctor without performing any examinations, radiography, or tests simply stated that my problem was related to stress. He wrote his diagnosis on the medical report and prescribed a few pills. When I asked him to at least wash my ear the doctor said it was not necessary. I was returned to the detention centre with the blood clot remaining in my ear. For 20 days, the left side of my body was paralyzed, and I had little control over my left arm and leg muscles. I also had difficulty walking."
"On January 24, 2009, after being subjected to severe beatings, one of the interrogators threatened to pull out my tooth with a pair of tongs. One of my tooth broke and my jaw was displaced after I was kicked in the face by him. However, the physical tortures were nothing compared to the psychological torments."
"Some of the confessions they forced me to make were so ridiculous and far-fetched that they are not even possible. For instance, they asked me to falsely confess to purchasing software from the UK and then posting it on my website for sale. I was forced to add that when somebody visited my website, the software would be, without his/her knowledge, installed on their computer and would take control of their webcam, even when their webcam is turned off. Although I told them that what they were suggesting was impossible from a technological standpoint, they responded that I should not concern myself with such things."
"In order for me to prepare my defense, I would like to request a bond or release from prison on bail and also a place equipped with the appropriate technical facilities (such as the Internet)."