September 21, 2018
A US judge has ordered Iran to pay $36 million to an Iranian-American dual national who was whipped, beaten and threatened with rape during attempts to torture her into confessing she was a spy for the CIA.
Afsaneh Azadeh, a businesswoman based in the UAE, spent 114 days at Evin prison in 2012 under brutal conditions and was on several occasions made to believe she was about to face a firing squad, according to US court papers.
The case – which, as usual, was not contested by the clerical regime – followed some 100 US court judgments against Iran and its proxies for terrorism over the last 20 years, according to US lawyer Stuart Newberger who has fought a number of cases involving victims of state-sponsored violence.
Only American citizens can file such suits. Most of those suing have been American Jews injured in terrorist attacks in Israel by groups funded by Iran. But several dual citizens have filed suits as well.
The businesswoman, 49, was living in Dubai when she was arrested at Tehran’s international airport after travelling to meet her Iran-based fiance to finalize their wedding plans, according to court papers.
She was taken to Evin prison where she was accused of working for the CIA to foment anti-regime activities.
Azadeh was interrogated every day for six weeks, pushed down a flight of stairs and left with a dislocated shoulder. She was whipped by one jailer who told her “he enjoyed seeing her suffer,” according to court documents. At one point she was falsely told that her mother, who lived in Iran, had died. Her fiance was also detained.
