Iran parades, tortures ‘thugs’ in show of ‘police power’

Oct 7, 2020

Long lines of police vehicles carrying arrested “thugs” — mostly Iranians accused of theft and knife attacks — are becoming increasingly commonplace scenes in the capital, Tehran, and in a few other cities in what authorities are calling “maneuvers of power” and law enforcement.

Footage of “big thugs turned into mice” was broadcast from state TV, showing handcuffed detainees in slippers, standing in the back of police vans that cruised through neighborhoods where the suspects allegedly committed crimes.

Some were also seen being beaten by the guards, creating moments activists described as “a blatant show of torture in broad daylight,” “a violation of human rights and dignity” and “reminiscent of Islamic State convoys” in Syria and Iraq.

“If they are mistreated this harshly in the open, one can imagine how they are tortured in custody,” an Iranian wrote on Twitter, as those parades brought to attention long-standing questions about torture and forced confessions in the Islamic Republic’s security apparatus. Iranian authorities, however, have repeatedly denied both allegations. Last month, Iran executed Navid Afkari, an anti-government protester accused of murdering a pro-government employee. Among multiple questions surrounding the headline-grabbing case were allegations of severe torture and abuse during the wrestler’s detention. Shahin Naseri, the man who wrote testimonies as a witness to Afkari’s torture, remains jailed incommunicado.

According to Majid Mir-Ahmadi, acting deputy for Intelligence in the Iranian armed forces, the latest police maneuvers were conducted in response to “requests” pushed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is also the country’s commander-in-chief.