I can\u2019t stop thinking about my fellow prisoners. People held in Evin have already suffered so much, and now this. For those of us who\u2019ve been imprisoned, moments like this bring all the painful memories flooding back. All I can see are the faces of friends lost to executions.<\/p>\n
For all of us \u2013 those still inside Iran or living in exile \u2013 these attacks are nothing short of psychological torture. Families wait in agony for news. Survivors like me relive their worst nightmares.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been more than thirty years since I was imprisoned, but I remember it like it happened yesterday. I was held\u202ffor eight years, threatened with sexual violence. And tortured. My \u2018crime\u2019? Speaking out against human rights abuses, state executions and women\u2019s inequality. For this they called me a spy.<\/p>\n
When I fled for my life, I left everything behind \u2013 my family, my friends, my home. Arriving in the UK, I had nothing. I felt so lost and alone. But I\u202fwas lucky. I escaped. I\u2019ve been able to heal, to rebuild, to find my voice again.<\/p>\n
Now, I use my voice through writing, art, and activism. These are powerful tools for survivors like me. Sharing my story means I can raise awareness of the horrors still happening in Iran. Being able to do this has helped give my life meaning after everything I lost.<\/p>\n
This year, on the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, I stood with Freedom from Torture to unveil billboards across London, amplifying survivors\u2019 voices. As conflict and repression escalate around the world, we\u2019re calling for renewed public support to end torture.<\/p>\n
My words now\u00a0stand tall\u00a0<\/a>in Shadwell, East London:\u00a0\u201cI spoke out against executions in my country. I was tortured for it.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0I am one of the lucky ones. I can stand here today and speak proudly and freely. But my heart aches for those still silenced, those being tortured for the simple act of standing up for what\u2019s right.<\/p>\n The torturers tried to take my voice. But through therapy, writing and art, I reclaimed it. And now, our words are displayed for all to see. People need to understand why survivors like me are targeted: for standing up for basic rights, for falling in love, for dreaming of equality or just wanting to exist peacefully.<\/p>\n We\u2019re asking the British public to stand with us \u2013 to welcome us as neighbours, as survivors, as people rebuilding our lives in safety. At this critical moment, when the UK Government threatens to weaken vital protections for survivors, we urge the country to stand firm: the absolute ban on torture must be upheld, with no exceptions. I believe the British people will choose compassion over cruelty. We need to remember that silence only helps the torturers, so together we must be louder.<\/p>\n ________________<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Nas\u00adrin Par\u00advaz<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0became a\u00a0civ\u00adil rights activist when the Islam\u00adic regime took pow\u00ader in\u00a01979. She was arrest\u00aded in\u00a01982, tor\u00adtured and impris\u00adoned for eight years. Par\u00advaz is the author of\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>One Woman\u2019s Strug\u00adgle in Iran: A\u00a0Prison Mem\u00adoir<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>The Secret Let\u00adters from X\u00a0to A<\/strong>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n LBC Opinion provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Source: https:\/\/www.lbc.co.uk\/opinion\/views\/tortured-iran-evin-prison-uk-survivors\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I can\u2019t stop thinking about my fellow prisoners. People held in Evin have already suffered so much, and now this. For those of us who\u2019ve been imprisoned, moments like this bring all the painful memories flooding back. All I can see are the faces of friends lost to executions. For all of us \u2013 those … Continue reading I was tortured for eight years in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison – the UK must not turn its back on survivors like me<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[36],"class_list":["post-563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-prison","tag-execution"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasrinparvaz.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasrinparvaz.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasrinparvaz.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasrinparvaz.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasrinparvaz.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=563"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasrinparvaz.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":564,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasrinparvaz.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563\/revisions\/564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasrinparvaz.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasrinparvaz.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasrinparvaz.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}