Family of Iranian Political Prisoner Complains of Torture of Son in Prison to Force Confessions

Family of Iranian Political Prisoner Complains of Torture of Son in Prison to Force Confessions

A well-informed source close to the family of Arzoo Badri, one of the victims of the forced hijab campaign, revealed to Iran International that her brother, Bahnam Badri, is still being tortured in prison to force him to make forced confessions. He was also asked to state on camera that he was not arrested and that the news circulating about him was incorrect in exchange for his release.

Iran International reported on January 30 that the Ministry of Intelligence arrested Bahnam Badri on Tuesday, January 28, and transferred him to the city of Sari. He had previously been arrested in December for a week for following up on his sister’s condition.

On January 27, a source close to Badri’s family said that despite their promises to provide Arzoo Badri with the necessary medical care, the government and security authorities released her from the hospital two months ahead of schedule without providing the promised services.

The source added that the officials had promised to provide free services, such as physical therapy and nursing care, to this citizen who was affected by the intervention of the security forces, but they removed her from the hospital and sent her home despite not completing the physical therapy. The incident dates back to July 22, when the police stopped a car that Arzoo Badri was driving in the city of Noor in Mazandaran Province, due to a violation related to not adhering to the hijab.

Despite the car stopping after the police warned, the security forces opened fire from the back of the car, resulting in Badri being injured. After months of treatment in the hospital, she was discharged on January 3, despite suffering a severe spinal injury that caused her paralysis.

On August 18, Iran International reported that Arzoo Badri, despite suffering severe pain and being unable to sit or eat, was forced under pressure by the security forces to make forced confessions against herself.

After these confessions, the authorities transferred her to an isolated room in the hospital equipped with three surveillance cameras. Arzoo Badri is a 31-year-old mother of two. In addition to being paralyzed by the gunshot wounds, she also suffered severe lung damage.

The Iranian police leadership defended their actions after news of the shooting of Arzoo Badri spread, claiming that the driver “continued to flee without obeying police orders” and that the shooting was carried out in accordance with “the law on the use of weapons.”

Iranian authorities continue to seize cars and fine their owners for not wearing the mandatory hijab, a scene that reflects the continued imposition of these restrictions.

In a statement made at the Davos Forum in Switzerland on January 22, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian president’s assistant, said: “If you walk around the streets of Tehran, you will find some women without a hijab, and although this is illegal, the government has decided not to pressure them.