Detainees, labeled as “scoundrels and thugs,” are being subjected to torture in public without going through proper legal proceedings.
Yesterday, on Monday, August 21, 2023, a video was released showing a group of handcuffed and shackled detainees, wearing black blindfolds, being paraded in Shahr-e Rey by state security forces while being humiliated, and expressing remorse. These detainees, labeled as “scoundrels and thugs,” were arrested by military forces and humiliated by security forces in public view, before standing trial.
Mohammad Mehdi Rahimi, the prosecutor of Rey County, had told reporters: “Following several incidents of insecurity, shootings, and clashes in the Baroot Kobbi neighborhood, the most notorious troublemaker of Shahr-e Rey was arrested and subsequently sent to prison after judicial proceedings.”
Mohammad Ghasem Torrahani, the commander of the State Security forces in Rey County, also commented on the humiliation of these detainees, saying: “The reconstruction of the scene of the clash in the Baroot Kobbi neighborhood of Shahr-e Rey was carried out upon the order of the prosecutor of Rey County. The most notorious troublemakers of Shahr-e Rey were paraded in front of the citizens, and they expressed remorse and regret to the citizens.”
According to Article 38 of the Constitution, “Any form of torture for the purpose of obtaining a confession or information is prohibited. Forcing individuals to testify, confess, or take an oath is not permissible, and such testimony, confession, or oath is invalid and lacks credibility. Violation of this principle is subject to punishment according to the law.”
In recent years, the Iranian police’s harsh and humiliating treatment of individuals, whom they label as “scoundrels and thugs,” has been met with widespread protests from activists and human rights organizations. According to reports, the State Security forces resort to excessive violence in this program, and during its implementation, masked forces often raid people’s homes at night, forcibly dragging them out and subjecting them to physical abuse and demeaning treatment in public.
Thus, torture of detainees through humiliation, insults, and violent treatment has found official sanction and is carried out in the streets and in front of the public eye.
Iran Human Rights Monitor (IranHRM) considers the parading of detainees in the streets as a violation of human dignity and the degrading treatment of citizens, contrary to humanitarian principles, and deems it a violation of human rights.
Such practices of torture and degrading treatment not only infringe upon the fundamental rights and dignity of individuals but also contradict internationally recognized human rights principles.
