Introduction: A Silence That Screams
White torture, a psychological method of torment, entails prolonged solitary confinement, total deprivation of human contact, sensory deprivation (such as the absence of light, sound, or color), and psychological threats including harm to family members. It is not merely a disciplinary tool; it is a methodical and deliberate strategy for dismantling the human psyche. In the prisons of the Islamic Republic of Iran, solitary confinement has become a systematic means of psychological annihilation, especially targeting political prisoners, civil activists, and religious minorities.
Erasing Identity: A White Cell, A Colorless World
Accounts from political prisoners reveal how windowless cells with white walls and constant artificial light—or unbroken darkness—become silent chambers of mental disintegration. In such spaces, no sound is heard, time loses meaning, and all connection to the outside world is severed. Detainees are often denied even basic objects such as books, paper, or mirrors, stripped of anything that may affirm their sense of self.
A Mind That Drips Away
These environments are meticulously crafted to induce confusion, helplessness, and isolation. Timeless, placeless, and inhuman. Reported psychological consequences include hallucinations, memory disorders, panic attacks, severe depression, and even total mental collapse. One prisoner described the experience as, “I could feel my mind gradually falling apart—silent and merciless.”
Women Prisoners: The Assault on Identity in Isolation
Female political prisoners are among the most vulnerable to this form of torture. Deprived of visitation, legal representation, and social support, they are held in solitary for extended periods without even being summoned for interrogation. The objective is not punishment alone, but the calculated erasure of identity and humanity.
In prisons such as Evin (Ward 209), Rajaei Shahr, Kerman, and secret detention centers run by the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization, white torture is carried out in an organized manner—without judicial oversight, without time limits, and under the direct command of security agencies.
Firsthand Testimonies from Solitary Confinement
- In the early hours of arrest, my daughter was threatened with rape without being informed of any charges.
- I was held in Ward 209 for two months, completely cut off from the outside world. No one visited me or called my name during that time.
- I was taken to solitary confinement in Evin (Ward 240) and held for 51 days. During interrogation, they repeatedly threatened my family. I went on a 23-day hunger strike in protest.
- I spent one year and one month in a state of total legal limbo in Wards 209 and 240. I suffered a stroke in Ward 209, and the interrogator said, “We’ll keep you here until you die.”
- The interrogator threatened my 13-year-old daughter: “If you don’t talk, something bad may happen to her.”
- I was kept in solitary confinement (Ward 240) for 30 days without family contact or legal access. The interrogator said, “If you don’t answer, I’ll extend your isolation until your hair turns white like your teeth.”
- Myself and others were held between 6–8 months in Ward 209 without family visits or the right to choose a lawyer.
- My husband and son were brought to Ward 209. They tortured my son in front of me to extract a confession.
- I was threatened with sexual assault, and they said they would film it and send it to my husband.
- My pregnant wife was arrested to pressure me into confessing. They also detained my mother, who had just undergone surgery, and used her for psychological coercion.
- I was detained for seven months in Ward 8 of Gohardasht Prison (IR Ministry of Intelligence), including three months in solitary without any visits.
- I was held in solitary in Ward 240 of Evin for 200 days—three months of which were without any visitation. Despite needing post-surgery cancer treatment, no medical care was provided.
- I spent three months in solitary without contact, shopping, speaking, visitation, or access to a lawyer.
- On three separate occasions, I was held in solitary for a total of six months in Wards 209 and 240, completely cut off from the outside world—no television, newspapers, books, phone calls, or communication with other prisoners.
A Law Trampled Underfoot
This practice stands in blatant violation of fundamental human rights, including Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Mandela Rules. Prolonged solitary confinement is classified as torture under these standards. Yet in Iran, this form of torture is institutionalized, systematically denied by the regime, and shielded from international scrutiny. Monitoring bodies are routinely denied access to detention facilities.
Documentation and Reports
- Organizations such as Amnesty International have extensively documented Iran’s systemic use of prolonged isolation.
- Javaid Rehman, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, has repeatedly highlighted cases of torture and inhumane treatment, including during the November protests, though not always explicitly naming “white torture.”
- Freedom from Torture has also reported on psychological and solitary confinement methods in Iran, notably in their report “We Will Make You Regret Everything.”
Call to Action: Break the Silence Before It Kills
White torture leaves no visible wounds, but it silently and irreversibly destroys the human psyche. We call on the international community:
- To ensure independent access to Iran’s prisons and detention centers
- To impose sanctions and initiate legal proceedings against known perpetrators
- To provide support, rehabilitation, and justice for the victims of this silent violence
This silence must be shattered—before more lives are extinguished within it.
