IRANIAN ELECTION PROTESTER'S TORTURE ALLEGATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001370

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR NEA AND EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2019
TAGS: CVIS PREL PGOV PHUM SOCI SCUL TU IR
SUBJECT: IRANIAN ELECTION PROTESTER'S TORTURE ALLEGATIONS

Classified By: Consul Karen Ogle for reasons 1.4(b,d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. CONOFF spoke with Ebrahim Sharifi (please
strictly protect) on Thursday September 17 concerning his
involvement in Iran,s recent election and post election
activities as well as his detainment, torture, and sodomy by
government authorities. Sharifi discussed his efforts to
expose the government's abuse of prisoners in order to
prevent future abuses from occurring. Sharifi further
expressed grave concern over tomorrow's planned protest
during Iran's Jerusalem Day events. END SUMMARY.

PRE-ELECTION ACTIVITIES


2. (C) Sharifi noted that he campaigned for Mehdi Karroubi
prior to the election but supported any candidate other than
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He stated the goal of most of his
colleagues was to oust Ahmadinejad from office. He further
noted that prior to the election, government authorities did
not interfere with the opposition campaigns. Government
harassment and violence occurred when the government could
not control the size of the post election protests. He
personally saw a sniper shoot and kill a protester from a
nearby rooftop. He added that government efforts focused on
instilling terror in the people. He explained that his
involvement was solely internet based. He simply would post
the time and place for protesters to gather on his web site.
He believes that one of the reasons authorities became
interested in him was through monitoring of his web activity
by the intelligence branch of the Islamic Republic Guard
Corps (IRGC). He stated he had been threatened multiple
times that if he was not careful he and his family would die
in an "accident." After he went to the Italian Embassy in
Tehran to request a student visa, he was arrested by IRGC
intelligence officers.

ARREST, TORTURE AND RELEASE


3. (C) Sharifi said he was blindfolded and taken to an
undisclosed location where he was tortured. As he was
blindfolded the entire time he could only rely on the sounds
around him. Based on the level of noise coming from the
beatings, whippings, and screaming he believes that at least
30 or 40 people were in the facility. As he displayed a
large and wide scar on his stomach, he noted that he was
beaten so severely that his stomach had ripped open. When
Sharifi questioned the authorities on why they would not just
kill them all now, the chief guard ordered all prisoners in
the room to be taken away and sodomized. Sharifi confirmed
to CONOFF that he had been sodomized, and he was aware that
others were sodomized as well. After seven days, authorities
threw him out on the street. On the advice of his lawyer, he
later made a formal complaint to the police. The police
responded that his file was with the intelligence services
and that he was not "supposed to be alive." This led Sharifi
to believe that the only reason he was released was that they
thought he would bleed to death from his beatings.


4. (C) For about the next six weeks Sharifi worked with
Mehdi Karroubi in order to expose the atrocities he and
others had experienced. He commented that he saw one female
rape victim who had had her hands bound after being raped to
prevent her from committing suicide. He made a video
testimony for Karroubi to take to the Majlis in which he
detailed his experience. He noted that Karroubi, Hashemi
Rafsanjani and a few others have copies of the testimony to
prevent government authorities from destroying the evidence.
He genuinely believes the exposure of the atrocities may have
saved existing and future detainees' lives. He believes if
he did not speak out the government could swiftly and quietly
eliminate all members of the opposition, even Karroubi.
Sharifi maintains some contact with Karroubi but it appears
now to be limited since he left for Turkey on August 23. He
said that the only reason he left was to protect his family
from government threats. Otherwise he wished to stay and
continue to resist the government. His friends tell him that
Iranian police monitor his family's home on a daily basis.

GOI EFFORTS TO CONCEAL ABUSES


5. (C) Sharifi also discussed the government's efforts to
prevent his exposure of the torture as well as eliminate
opposition members. He explained that the government tried
to claim that while Sharifi was detained, a member of
Karroubi's National Trust Party, Ali Bigdeli, passed money to
him so that he would make up stories of abuse. Sharifi
stated that he had no reason to lie as he is financially well
off and had imminent plans to study in Italy. He noted that
similarly, when the infamous protester Neda Soltani was
killed, the government first claimed she was alive and that
the BBC had made up the story. He added that when he was
examined by the official doctors for signs of torture that
they refused to release any report confirming that torture
had occurred. Sharifi also noted that many of the protesters
had been labeled as "kaffirs" which means those that exit the
faith of Islam. He said that this was the justification used
by authorities to allow for and even encourage the killing of
protesters like himself.

JERUSALEM DAY FEARS


6. (C) Sharifi believes that change in Iran depends on how
far the authorities are willing to go to suppress the
opposition. He noted that efforts such as his help prevent
the government from continuing its atrocities. Sharifi is
fearful concerning the September 18 Jerusalem Day events in
Iran. He believes that protesters will come out in force and
the government will respond harshly. He noted that the last
time Ali Khamanei spoke, authorities displayed rocket
propelled grenade launchers on their shoulders. He further
commented that Rafsanjani's being barred from speaking at the
event at the last minute is a bad sign.


7. (C) During the interview Sharifi was highly nervous about
his surroundings. He even sat physically close to CONOFF and
at times whispered his responses. He said he was very
concerned about his safety in Turkey and asked if anything
could be done to speed up his process with the UNHCR.
(Comment: He has registered with UNHCR in Turkey, and has
been scheduled for an interview in January.) Finally, he
inquired if it was possible to relocate to a third country
with a higher level of security as he is afraid of becoming
the victim of an "accident" here in Turkey.

JEFFREY

"Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey"