Roxana Saberi had been living and working in Iran for nearly six years when four men forced her from her Tehran apartment one morning in January 2009. That night, she ended up in solitary confinement in the notorious Evin Prison. Her captors harshly interrogated her and accused her of espionage, a charge she denied. Weeks passed before her family and friends learned her whereabouts.
Saberi’s captors threatened her with life in prison or worse but told her that if she cooperated with them, she would be released. Under this and other pressures, she fabricated a confession in return for her freedom-a choice she quickly came to regret.
It wasn’t until Saberi met other prisoners at Evin that she rediscovered her courage and her conscience. Her cellmates included supporters of a civil disobedience movement, a humanitarian worker, a student activist, and Baha’is-members of the largest religious minority in Iran. When Saberi heard them talk of the deep convictions that had landed them in prison and their resistance to their captors’ demands, she realized even more the need to recant her false confession and stand up to her persecutors.
Through the prism of her interactions with her cellmates and captors, Saberi provides insight into Iranian society, the Islamic regime, and U.S.-Iran relations, shedding light on developments taking place today in tumultuous Iran.
Following broad-based international pressure, Saberi was released from Evin Prison on appeal on May 11, 2009.