Al Jazeera journalist tells of 'terrifying experience' in Syrian detention

Al Jazeera journalist Dorothy Parvaz has spoken out about the "terrifying experience" of being detained in Syria and deported to Iran.

In an interview with Al Jazeera she said she heard "severe beatings" taking place, which she felt she was made to hear in order to scare her.

"The first night I was there they took me out blindfolded and handcuffed to a courtyard and I'm fairly certain for that purpose, to scare me, and I heard two separate interrogations and beatings, and these young men, they sounded very young, in their late teens, early 20s, being beaten so harshly."

In a report on her experience for Al Jazeera Parvaz goes on to say that three days into her detention in Syria she was told it had been determined that she was a reporter for Al Jazeera and would be able to return to Qatar.

"I was taken to the airport, but I was certainly not allowed to return to Qatar. Instead, I was dragged, kicking and screaming, onto a flight bound for Tehran (I'd entered Syria with an Iranian passport). Call it a strange brand of extraordinary rendition, if you will.

"The Syrian authorities had alleged to the Iranians that I was a spy – a charge that can carry a death penalty in Iran.

"Fortunately, in my case, the facts were borne out. After a couple of weeks of interrogations, the investigator in Iran charged with my case determined that I was not a spy, but a journalist."

She added the conditions she was kept in during her time in Iran were "relatively fair".

"Although I have written critically of some of Iran's policies, I was treated with respect, courtesy and care throughout my detention there," she said.

Parvaz believes her deportation to Iran was to control Al Jazeera's reporting on the uprisings in Syria. The broadcaster confirmed last month it had suspended its Arabic bureau in the country for safety reasons.

In a statement Al Jazeera said it will be seeking an explanation from the Iranian authorities as to why Parvaz's whereabouts was not confirmed.

Image by Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.com.

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