A 26-year-old woman is exposing abuse in Iranian prisons

After her release on bail, she refused to remain silent. Gholian told investigators from Amnesty International that her jailers had beaten her, slammed her against walls, and flogged her. They were trying to force her to confess to charges of “overthrowing the government” and “hijacking the demands of the laborers.” During long hours of interrogation, she was repeatedly called a “whore” and accused of having sexual relations with the striking workers that she was defending. This psychological torture is part of the playbook, threatening to bring shame on women prisoners to break them.