The Tunnel of Death Punishment

Among the physical punishments inflicted by the Iraqis during captivity was one that every single Iranian prisoner experienced time and again.

Method of Punishment

The Tunnel of Death, or Tunnel of Terror, was a situation that every Iranian captive endured repeatedly, and each one carries a bitter memory of it from their first entry into a camp, from transfers, from exile, or from being moved to another camp:

"The Iraqis' routine was that whenever they wanted to transfer a group to another camp, they would line up a number of Ba'athist soldiers face to face at the camp gate, forming a corridor. The prisoners were forced to pass through this corridor, and the soldiers, who were already prepared with batons, cables, angle irons, sticks, thick ropes, belts, and other implements, would start beating the prisoners. Sometimes these blows led to serious physical injuries or permanent disability."

Eventually the convoy of prisoners arrived in Baghdad. Our bus stopped after a short while. A two-column formation of military and plainclothes men, armed with multicolored cables, had formed a tunnel!

They carried sticks, clubs, and folding Kalashnikovs. The plainclothes men spoke fluent Persian, hurling curses and shouting. The moment we stepped off the bus, they fell upon us with sticks, cables, fists, and boots, showering us with blows. They threw some to the ground, grabbed others by the collar and slammed them against walls. Some were kicked in the back, while others were separated, laid down in the middle of the street, and beaten within an inch of their lives. The reception of the prisoners at the entrance of the Security Headquarters (Iraqi Intelligence) was an unbearably painful scene.

When my turn came to move and exit, I tried to rush through the tunnel to reduce the number of blows! But that tunnel was such that it was impossible to pass through unscathed. I kept my bound hands in front of my head and face to protect my eyes and face from the lashes of the cables. By the time I reached the prison yard, I could barely breathe from the impact of the heavy cables. Many prisoners suffered injuries to their eyes, heads, and hands during this reception, and some sustained internal injuries that left them with permanent disabilities, blindness, ruptured kidneys, dislocated joints in hands and feet, and other lasting mementos of that bitter day.

See also

• Punishment and Torture
• Physical Punishment and Torture
• Punishment in Captivity

• Torture in Captivity

Author

Morad Shafiee