Rozgar Beyg-Zadeh Babamiri, a political prisoner currently held in Urmia Central Prison, has written a letter documenting the severe physical and psychological torture he endured while detained at the Intelligence Ministry detention centers in the cities of Bukan and Urmia, located in Iran’s West Azerbaijan province.
Beyg-Zadeh Babamiri was abducted by intelligence forces on April 17, 2023, and subjected to extreme pressure during a detention period that lasted approximately 130 days. According to his testimony, he was subjected to brutal beatings, death threats, mock executions, electric shocks, enforced sleep deprivation, and various other forms of torture from the first hours of his arrest.
In the detailed letter, Rezgar describes how he was lured to a location outside Bukan under false pretenses by an agent introducing himself as “Saeedi” from the Intelligence Ministry. Upon his arrival, he was forcibly detained and transferred to the Bukan Intelligence Office, where systematic torture was carried out by six interrogators, including individuals known by the aliases “Saeedi,” “Ghorbani,” and “Hojjati” (the latter identified as the head of the Bukan Intelligence Office).
Throughout his ordeal, Beyg-Zadeh Babamiri reports having been threatened with death and warned that his body would be discarded anonymously in Lake Bukan, sewer canals, or mass graves — as he was told had happened to other detainees described as “rioters” during previous crackdowns.
Following over 72 hours of continuous torture at the Bukan facility, he was secretly transferred to the West Azerbaijan Province Intelligence Detention Center in Urmia, where the abuse intensified. Among the techniques inflicted on him were suffocation simulation using water, mock executions by hanging and firing squad, electric shocks administered to sensitive areas of his body, and prolonged deprivation of sleep.
Despite numerous attempts to pursue justice after his transfer to Urmia Central Prison, Beyg-Zadeh Babamiri states that the judicial system systematically obstructed his complaints. After months of delay, his torture complaint was finally registered, but the military prosecutor of West Azerbaijan province ultimately closed the case, citing a “statute of limitations,” and refused to allow him access to a forensic medical examination.
Beyg-Zadeh Babamiri criticizes the impunity granted to torturers and points to systemic violations of human rights in Iran, calling for international human rights organizations and free societies not to remain silent in the face of such abuses.
In addition to enduring physical injuries — including temporary deafness in his left ear from repeated beatings — he continues to suffer from the aftereffects of his mistreatment. His complaints to the judiciary were met with indifference, and during a trial presided over by Judge Reza Najafzadeh at the Urmia Revolutionary Court, his torture claims were dismissed with derision.
Below is the full text of Rezgar Beyg-Zadeh Babamiri’s letter:
Full Translation of the Letter
I am striving through the writing of this text — which recounts the story of my 130 days of detention and the conditions I endured throughout this period — to make my voice heard by the civilized world. Writing under continuous surveillance by informants and monitoring systems inside the prison, and amidst constant tension and pressure, is no easy task.
On April 17, 2023, following a phone call from someone named Saidi who introduced himself as an agent of the Bukan Intelligence Office, I was summoned at 5 p.m. to a location near the Roj Hall on the outskirts of Bukan. Upon my arrival, I was abducted by Saidi and another individual, later identified as my interrogator, codenamed Ghorbani. I was transferred to the Bukan Intelligence Office and detained in a room until around 10 p.m., when a team of six interrogators — including Saidi, Ghorbani, the office chief known as Hojjati, and three other unknown agents — subjected me to brutal torture and beatings.
Throughout the ordeal, I was constantly threatened with death, insulted, and humiliated. Hojjati, Ghorbani, and Saidi repeatedly told me that I was in a place where, according to them, dozens of “rioters” had previously been tortured to death and that I would share their fate — my corpse discarded in Lake Bukan, sewer canals, or mass graves.
They made every effort to make me understand that I had reached the end of the line and that those torturing me enjoyed complete legal immunity. Their savagery made it clear they had no fear of killing me under torture. Over three nights, I lost consciousness multiple times due to severe beatings and electric shocks.
After more than 72 hours of continuous torture, I was secretly transferred with other detainees to the West Azerbaijan Provincial Intelligence Detention Center in Urmia under heavy escort at night.
In Urmia, torture continued, now described as “professional, specialized, and systematic.” Here are some methods used against me:
- Simulated Drowning (Water Torture): Blindfolded, bound, and a bag placed over my head, I was laid horizontally in a place resembling a bathroom, while water was poured over my head and face to simulate the fear of drowning.
- Mock Hanging: Blindfolded and with my hands tied, I was taken from my solitary cell in the middle of the night to an unknown room and forced to stand on a stool with a noose around my neck for hours, threatened with secret execution.
- Mock Firing Squad: Blindfolded and bound, I was subjected to the sound of guns cocking and dry firing, alongside ongoing threats and humiliations, as they told me no official record of my detention existed, so my death could be easily concealed.
- Electric Shocks: Tied to a chair, blindfolded, and bound, I endured electric shocks to my earlobes, testicles, nipples, spine, ribs, underarms, thighs, and temples, causing excruciating pain to force confessions or statements before a camera.
- Sleep Deprivation: For several nights in a row, agents prevented me from sleeping through noise, shouting, cell invasions, beatings, and other harassment, aiming to break my resistance.
From April 17, 2023, until August 23, 2023, these inhumane conditions persisted.
After being transferred to Urmia Central Prison, despite threats from intelligence agents, I tried through legal channels to report the torture and violations against me. Eventually, I succeeded in filing a complaint, but the judicial system obstructed justice at every turn. Prosecutor’s Office Case No. 140335920002257834 was opened but later closed by the military prosecutor using the excuse that “more than a year had passed since the torture.”
No forensic examination was allowed, denying the only evidence a torture victim can provide — the physical signs on their body.
Why do courts remain silent when victims of torture file complaints? Why is there no institution to protect victims while perpetrators enjoy full impunity? How can it be acceptable that, when a torture victim files a complaint, he is summoned and threatened with execution by the security services?
Even during court proceedings, the presiding judge, Reza Najafzadeh, responded dismissively to torture claims, saying mockingly: “What did you expect? A kebab?”
In these 130 days of continuous torture, my body was severely bruised. I lost hearing in my left ear for three months due to repeated blows; although it gradually recovered, I experienced severe infections. Scars remain visible on my legs even today.
Despite numerous complaints, the judiciary ignored my testimony, and instead of defending victims, protected the perpetrators.
Granting unchecked power, along with sectarian biases and material incentives, transforms law enforcement officers into ruthless violators of human rights. This organized and, at times, even glorified violence must not be met with silence.
I urge the international community, human rights organizations, independent media, and all free individuals not to remain silent in the face of this brutal, systematic violence.
Date: April 9, 2025
Location: Urmia Central Prison – Ward 2 (Reception)
Signed: Rezgar Beyg-Zadeh Babamiri
