Iranian Exiles Sue Ex-Shah's 'Chief Torturer' In U.S. Court

Two years after reemerging from decades in hiding, Parviz Sabeti is facing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed by three former Iranian dissidents who accuse the ex-top security official under the shah of years of torture and abuse.

Sabeti in the 1970s served as the deputy head of SAVAK, the feared security and intelligence service of the last shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

RFE/RL’s Radio Farda has obtained a copy of the lawsuit, which was filed on February 10 in a federal court in the city of Orlando in Florida.

The plaintiffs accuse Sabeti of institutionalizing torture in Iran and laying the foundation for abusive interrogation tactics later used by the Islamic republic.

His daughter, Pardis Sabeti, did not respond to Radio Farda's request for comment.

'Institutionalization Of Torture'

The plaintiffs, whose identities remain undisclosed due to what they say is a fear of reprisal, allege in the $225 million lawsuit that they were detained by SAVAK and subjected to “extreme violence including beatings, whippings, stress positions, electrocution, hanging by the wrists, [and] hanging of weights from genitals.”

They say Sabeti “is widely recognized as an architect of the institutionalization of torture" in Iran, including the use of forced public recantations obtained through violent coercion, a practice established under his tenure and rapidly expanded and employed by the Islamic republic of Iran today.

They added that Iran’s clerical establishment, which came to power in 1979 after toppling the shah, “has continued SAVAK's policy of repression, censorship, torture, and executions.”

One notable allegation leveled against Sabeti in the lawsuit is his alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), though the plaintiffs did not provide any evidence for the claim and cited “information and belief.”

Designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the IRGC is a branch of Iran's armed forces founded after the 1979 Islamic revolution. It is tasked with protecting the clerical establishment, exerting military and economic influence, and supporting proxy groups abroad. It has taken on many of the responsibilities of SAVAK.

The plaintiffs said the “collaboration” between Sabeti and individuals affiliated with the IRGC “provides a reasonable basis for fear by plaintiffs” who live outside Iran.

“Sabeti not only had knowledge of the pervasive use of torture applied on behalf of the shah's regime, but was a main advocate for its application,” the plaintiffs alleged.

Monarchists and supporters of Sabeti, including former senior SAVAK official Ahamad Farasati, reject the accusations.

Farasati told Radio Farda that Sabeti was so high-ranking he effectively served as a “deputy prime minister” and was mostly involved in political affairs rather than interrogations and torture.

“I assure you that Sabeti never provided guidance or directions on -- God forbid -- abusing suspects and he himself is staunchly opposed to it,” he claimed.

Farasati denied the use of torture techniques and devices described in the lawsuit but conceded that “maybe there was flogging of feet…but not to torture, rather to get a confession” so that the security apparatus could prevent future incidents.

'Enduring Suffering'

SAVAK was established in 1957 and rights groups have long accused it of torturing dissidents who opposed the rule of the shah.

The U.S. State Department notes that SAVAK as an organization was the first of its kind in Iran and “is generally considered to have taken over certain counterintelligence functions handled by the police, gendarmerie, and military intelligence.”

Raha Bahreini, a human rights lawyer and spokeswoman for Amnesty International, told Radio Farda that “the victims of SAVAK’s crimes have for years been deprived of getting justice.”

She said the lawsuit highlights “the long-term crisis of impunity” for perpetrators of human rights violations in Iran.

“At the heart of this case lies the enduring suffering of torture survivors, who continue to seek justice, truth, and accountability,” Bahreini said.

In a 1977 interview with The Washington Post, Sabeti claimed that Iranians who feared SAVAK were “influenced by foreign journalists’ accounts,” adding, “Some of the foreign journalists come here… They see SAVAK behind every tree.”

In a 2012 interview with Voice of America, Sabeti stated that he was “opposed” to torture.

“Because I studied law, I have always opposed anything that leads to torture,” he said.

Sabeti had for decades stayed out of the public eye, relocating to Florida after the 1979 Islamic revolution and becoming a real estate developer. He reemerged in February 2023, taking part in an anti-Islamic republic rally in California.

The plaintiffs say it was Sabeti’s public appearance that allowed them “the opportunity to even consider pursuing claims” against him.

Written based on an original report by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda and interviews by Mohammad Zarghami and Reza Jamali.