A judge ruled on Monday in favor of Akbar Lakestani, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war who later became a political prisoner, finding that Iran was responsible for state hostage-taking, psychological torture, and causing permanent physical and psychological disabilities, according to information obtained by IranWire.
Lakestani filed suit in September 2021 against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and then-IRGC Commander Hossein Salami in a U.S. federal court, citing unlawful detention, torture, inadequate medical care, and attempts to extract false confessions.
Lakestani was arrested at the Turkey-Iran border in September 2019 while visiting family in Iran. After interrogation at several detention centers, he was transferred to the central prison in Urmia in October 2019, first to a ward for dangerous criminals and later to solitary confinement.
He went on multiple hunger strikes to protest prison conditions.
After losing consciousness due to complications from a hunger strike, Lakestani was transferred to Imam Khomeini Hospital, where he said he was beaten by guards while chained to a hospital bed.
Lakestani said he was injected with an unknown substance at Imam Khomeini Hospital before being moved to Razi Psychiatric Hospital.
He was temporarily released on bail on November 13, 2019, and eventually left Iran, arriving in the United States in February 2020.
Last year, he underwent multiple surgeries in the U.S. that resulted in the amputation of his right toes and parts of his right foot due to injuries sustained during his detention and hospitalization in Iran.
Iran does not recognize dual nationality and has detained several dual citizens in recent years, often on espionage or national security charges that rights groups say are politically motivated.
