Three former Iranian political prisoners have filed a $225 million lawsuit in a U.S. federal court against Parviz Sabeti, the notorious former deputy director of SAVAK, the secret police under the Shah of Iran. The lawsuit, filed in Orlando, Florida, accuses Sabeti of overseeing and orchestrating brutal torture against dissidents, acts that continue to haunt the survivors decades later.
Sabeti, once one of the most feared figures in Iran, is identified in court documents as an architect of state-sponsored terror, who institutionalized extreme forms of torture, forced public recantations, and psychological abuse against political prisoners. The complaint describes him as “one of the most powerful and feared men” of the Shah’s regime, responsible for “the mass arrest and torture of thousands of perceived political opponents, including lawyers, writers, theater directors, students, activists, and political rivals.”
A Legacy of Brutality and Enduring Trauma
The lawsuit, filed by three plaintiffs identified as John Does I, II, and III, details harrowing accounts of torture allegedly carried out under Sabeti’s supervision. Victims describe being:
- Electrocuted and subjected to excruciating pain
- Hung from the ceiling by their wrists for prolonged periods
- Beaten, whipped, and subjected to sleep deprivation
- Forced into the Apollo, a device likened to an electric chair with a metal mask designed to amplify victims’ own screams
Iranian exiles in the US want $225 million for years of brutal torture by notorious security chief https://t.co/hluqUgYbZK
— The Independent (@Independent) February 24, 2025
One plaintiff, a 72-year-old former student arrested in 1974, recounted how he was sentenced to four years in prison after weeks of torture for the mere possession of banned poetry. Another plaintiff, a former artist imprisoned for advocating free speech, described “years of therapy” to cope with the psychological damage inflicted during his seven-year imprisonment. A third plaintiff, arrested as a teenager, recalled his ordeal as “dishonorable and humiliating” but felt compelled to seek justice now that Sabeti has resurfaced.
The victims allege that despite living in the United States, they “do not believe that residing in the United States protects [them] from harm by agents acting on behalf of the Iranian government.”
Sabeti’s Hidden Life in the U.S. and Controversial Return
After fleeing Iran in 1978, Sabeti lived in secrecy for decades, reportedly changing his name and concealing his identity. He resurfaced in 2023, appearing in a seven-hour documentary defending his role in SAVAK and later attending public rallies in Los Angeles, where he was met with outrage from the Iranian exile community.
How #Iran’s Clerical Regime Rebuilt SAVAK into a Global Repression Machinehttps://t.co/s3FhvmxhzA
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 7, 2025
His reemergence has reignited debates over the Shah’s regime, with many arguing that Sabeti’s brutal tactics laid the foundation for the clerical regime’s modern-day oppression. According to a source close to the case, “The Shah’s regime and the Islamic Republic are two sides of the same coin. The legacy of torture was built by [the Shah] and expanded by the Islamic Republic.”
The lawsuit further alleges that Sabeti still maintains ties to individuals connected to Iran’s feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reinforcing concerns that Iran’s history of political repression transcends regimes.
A Renewed Demand for Justice
With this case, the plaintiffs aim to achieve long-overdue accountability for the crimes they suffered under Sabeti’s watch. They seek a combined $225 million in damages, plus legal fees, marking one of the most significant human rights cases against a former Iranian official in U.S. courts.
The lawsuit sends a strong message to perpetrators of state-sponsored torture that they can be held accountable, no matter how much time has passed. As the legal battle unfolds, Iranian exiles continue to demand justice, not just for the crimes of the past but for those still being committed by the Iranian regime today.