United Nations Human Rights Website - Treaty Bodies Database - Document - Sessional/Annual Report of Committee - The Committee against Torture, established under article 17 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Meeting on 15 November 1996, Having concluded its consideration of communication No. 43/1996, submitted to the Committee against Torture under article 22 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Having taken into account all information made available to it by the author of the communication, his counsel and the State party, Adopts the following: Views under article 22, paragraph 7, of the Convention 1. The author of the communication is Mr. Kaveh Yaragh Tala, an Iranian citizen born on 18 August 1969, currently residing in Sweden. He claims that his return to Iran would constitute a violation of article 3 of the Convention against Torture by Sweden. He is represented by counsel. Facts as presented by the author 2.1 The author states that he became politically aware in the summer of 1985, and through a friend of the family started to become involved with the People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). He took part in activities such as painting slogans and distributing leaflets late at night. From September 1986 on, he also acted as a contact between the friend and two army officers. At the end of 1986, he began listening to PMOI broadcasts in order to write down messages to certain codes and to hand them to a contact person. 2.2 In February 1987, the author was forced to do his military service. He was assigned to the maintenance section of the Revolutionary Guards headquarters. After some time he began to deliver information, such as transport routes for ammunition and armaments and location of ammunition and underground storage, to the PMOI. The author also stole and delivered to the PMOI some 20 blank passes with which vehicles could move around freely without being checked at checkpoints. 2.3 In March 1989, the author was stopped when leaving the quarters and found with two blank passes on him. He was arrested, beaten and kicked and was brought to the underground prison No. 59 of the security service of the Revolutionary Guards. There he stayed for three and a half months, during which period he was interrogated about 25 times. During each interrogation he was maltreated and tortured. During the last interrogation, he was told to lie down on his stomach and then felt a hot metal object against his thighs before he passed out. When his wounds became infected, he was brought to Khatam-alanbia hospital, where he stayed under guard for four weeks. 2.4 After being released from hospital, he was moved to prison No. 66 of the Revolutionary Guards. There he managed to get a message out to his parents, and on 11 August 1989 he was released awaiting http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/de75e94f920bd0a0802565a600537744?Opendocument (59 of 109)16/10/2006 9:54:12 AM