Letters to My Torturer: Love, Revolution, and Imprisonment in Iran - Softcover

Asadi, Houshang

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1851688005 ISBN 13: 9781851688005

Publisher: Oneworld Publications, 2012

Synopsis

Houshang Asadi’s Letters to My Torturer is one of the most harrowing accounts of human suffering to emerge from Iran and is now available for the first time in paperback.
Kept in solitary confinement for over two years in an infamous Tehran prison, Asadi suffered inhuman degradations and brutal torture: suspended from the ceiling, beaten, and forced to bark like a dog, Asadi became a spy for the Russians, for the British – for anyone.
Narrowly escaping execution as the government unleashed a bloody pogrom against political prisoners, Asadi was hauled before a sham court and sentenced to fifteen years. Here he confronts his torturer, speaking for those who will never be heard, and provides a glimpse into the heart of Iran and the practice of state-sponsored justice.

About this title

About the Author

A journalist, writer, and translator, Houshang Asadi was a member of both the Writers' Association of Iran and the Iranian Journalists' Syndicate, and the co-founder of the Association of Iranian Film Critics and Script Writers. Prior to the Islamic Revolution he served for many years as Deputy Editor at Kayhan, Iran's largest daily newspaper, and was for 12 years the Editor-in-Chief of the country's largest circulation film magazine, Gozaresh. He is the author of several novels, plays, and film scripts, and has translated into Persian important works by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, and T.S. Eliot. In 1983, following the Iranian government's crackdown on all opposition parties, Asadi was arrested and sent to the infamous Moshtarek prison in Tehran. He was kept in solitary confinement for almost 2 years, during which time he was severely tortured until he falsely confessed to operating as a spy for the British and Russian intelligence agencies. His sentence was death by hanging. In the end this was reduced to 15 years imprisonment. He was freed after serving 6 years and eventually escaped Iran in 2003. He now lives in exile in Paris with his wife, where he co-founded the influential Persian-language news website Rooz Online.

From the Back Cover

Pushed blindfolded into an unmarked car, prominent Iranian journalist Houshang Asadi was convinced there had been a mistake. As a political activist during the Shah’s rule, being arrested was a frequent inconvenience, but as a supporter of the Islamic Revolution he expected things to be different. After all, he considered himself a close friend of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s current Supreme Leader, with whom he had shared a cramped prison cell in the early 1970s.

But he was wrong. For over two years he was kept in solitary confinement in one of the most infamous prisons in Tehran, suffering inhuman degradations and brutal, mindless torture at the hands of a man who introduced himself as ‘Brother Hamid’. A man without whose permission he couldn’t eat, sleep, receive medical care, or go to the toilet. A man who knew no limits when it came to extracting ‘confessions’: suspended from the ceiling, beaten, and forced to bark like a dog, Asadi became a spy for the Russians, for the British – for anyone.

Narrowly escaping execution as the government unleashed a bloody pogrom against political prisoners that left thousands dead, he was hauled before a sham court and sentenced to fifteen years. In exile, tormented by nightmares and flashbacks, Asadi’s first attempt at recording his experiences resulted in a heart attack. Here at last he confronts his torturer one last time, speaking for those whose voices will never be heard, and provides a chilling glimpse into the heart of Iran and the practice of state-sponsored justice.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1851688005
• ISBN 13: 9781851688005
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320