Important: Click here to read this clarification about some of our previous statements regarding 'Moharabeh'.
After the heartbreaking news we received a few days ago about our brother, Shahram Ahmadi, being psychologically tortured, we have received no new information about his condition.
He, along with five other brothers, is held in solitary confinement in Evin prison, northwestern Tehran.
Prison guards simulated his execution on a number of occasions.
This is a horrific form of torture that can cause deep and long-lasting psychological trauma.
After the heartbreaking news we received a few days ago about our brother, Shahram Ahmadi, being psychologically tortured, we have received no new information about his condition.
He, along with five other brothers, is held in solitary confinement in Evin prison, northwestern Tehran.
Prison guards simulated his execution on a number of occasions.
This is a horrific form of torture that can cause deep and long-lasting psychological trauma.
Let us take a journey through what a mock execution can involve:
The guards will inform the prisoner at night that his execution will be carried out the following day.
In the morning, guards will handcuff and shackle him, and violently remove him from his cell. He will be marched to the gallows. The hangman and prison officials will be present. The prisoner will be forced to watch as guards prepare the ropes for hanging.
Then, guards will roughly pull the prisoner onto a raised platform. They will tie a piece of cloth over his eyes.
The prisoner will feel the guards placing the rope over his head. They will adjust it until it is firmly around his neck.
An official will read the charges against the prisoner. They will ask if he has any final words. This is all done to cause the maximum amount of distress to the him, and to convince him that he is about to be killed.
They may leave the prisoner in this position, to extend his suffering. The prisoner will become certain that these are his final moments of life.
At the very last minute, the guards will drag him down from the platform. He will be told his execution has been delayed for another day.
The prisoner may collapse. The extreme stress caused by this torture can cause him to vomit, or fall unconscious. Some prisoners report that they became convinced that they were dead.
The prisoner is then taken back to solitary confinement, where he is told the execution will be carried out the following day. The cycle of torture is repeated.
The guards will inform the prisoner at night that his execution will be carried out the following day.
In the morning, guards will handcuff and shackle him, and violently remove him from his cell. He will be marched to the gallows. The hangman and prison officials will be present. The prisoner will be forced to watch as guards prepare the ropes for hanging.
Then, guards will roughly pull the prisoner onto a raised platform. They will tie a piece of cloth over his eyes.
The prisoner will feel the guards placing the rope over his head. They will adjust it until it is firmly around his neck.
An official will read the charges against the prisoner. They will ask if he has any final words. This is all done to cause the maximum amount of distress to the him, and to convince him that he is about to be killed.
They may leave the prisoner in this position, to extend his suffering. The prisoner will become certain that these are his final moments of life.
At the very last minute, the guards will drag him down from the platform. He will be told his execution has been delayed for another day.
The prisoner may collapse. The extreme stress caused by this torture can cause him to vomit, or fall unconscious. Some prisoners report that they became convinced that they were dead.
The prisoner is then taken back to solitary confinement, where he is told the execution will be carried out the following day. The cycle of torture is repeated.
The effects of psychological torture, although it leaves no visible scars, are no less traumatic than physical torture.
The torture can leave a deep impact on a person's mental well being. Many prisoners who have experienced this type of torture report suffering psychological effects and flashbacks of the event for years afterwards.
Shahram Ahmadi has experienced this form of torture on a number of occasions in the past weeks whilst being held in Evin prison.
We have no information about the condition of the five other brothers, but it is highly likely they are experiencing similar treatment.
The six brothers are being held in solitary confinement for 24 hours a day. They were moved to Evin prison a number of weeks ago, after being transferred from Rajai Shahr prison.
They are given only one meal a day, at breakfast time. They are forced to remain hungry until the next day.
During this time, they have not been allowed to get fresh air or leave their cells even once. The only time they have left their cells is when they are taken for a mock execution.
They are forbidden from having any form of contact with their families. Weeks passed without anyone knowing their whereabouts, and many started fearing that the brothers had already been executed.
As an exception, a few brothers were permitted only once to call their families for a few moments and confirm they are still alive. In the case of Shahram Ahmadi, it is reported that when he was trying to inform his family about his treatment, the call was abruptly ended.
The brothers were all tortured in detention, and many were forced to 'confess' to false charges. The men reported that they were severely physically and psychologically tortured, and their families were threatened. Some were forced to sign papers without being allowed to read them.
The brothers were all active in propagating Sunni Islam within their communities, and in criticizing the regime. Sunnis face widespread persecution in the Shia-dominated Iran, and many of those who openly propagate Sunni Islam have been imprisoned or executed under false accusations.
The torture can leave a deep impact on a person's mental well being. Many prisoners who have experienced this type of torture report suffering psychological effects and flashbacks of the event for years afterwards.
Shahram Ahmadi has experienced this form of torture on a number of occasions in the past weeks whilst being held in Evin prison.
We have no information about the condition of the five other brothers, but it is highly likely they are experiencing similar treatment.
The six brothers are being held in solitary confinement for 24 hours a day. They were moved to Evin prison a number of weeks ago, after being transferred from Rajai Shahr prison.
They are given only one meal a day, at breakfast time. They are forced to remain hungry until the next day.
During this time, they have not been allowed to get fresh air or leave their cells even once. The only time they have left their cells is when they are taken for a mock execution.
They are forbidden from having any form of contact with their families. Weeks passed without anyone knowing their whereabouts, and many started fearing that the brothers had already been executed.
As an exception, a few brothers were permitted only once to call their families for a few moments and confirm they are still alive. In the case of Shahram Ahmadi, it is reported that when he was trying to inform his family about his treatment, the call was abruptly ended.
The brothers were all tortured in detention, and many were forced to 'confess' to false charges. The men reported that they were severely physically and psychologically tortured, and their families were threatened. Some were forced to sign papers without being allowed to read them.
The brothers were all active in propagating Sunni Islam within their communities, and in criticizing the regime. Sunnis face widespread persecution in the Shia-dominated Iran, and many of those who openly propagate Sunni Islam have been imprisoned or executed under false accusations.