Kamran Ghaderi, an Austrian-Iranian businessman, is just one of thousands of cases of irregular rendition, arbitrary detention, unlawful imprisonment, and torture. Despite no warrant for his arrest, Ghaderi was detained upon his arrival in Iran in 2015 for a routine business trip on allegations of espionage and acts against national security. 

In a subsequent trial based on confessions obtained through torture and without access to a lawyer, Ghaderi was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. After an initial year in solitary confinement, Khaderi continued to endure ill and inhumane treatment in the prison – including sleep deprivation, humiliation, and denial of medical treatment. The ill treatment and poor detention conditions even led to Ghaderi having surgery on his spine, but despite the severity of the issue he was refused a full course of physiotherapy treatment.

After 89 months behind bars, Khaderi was released as part of a prisoner exchange – in part due to the campaigning of the Foreign Ministry of Austria and human rights groups such as CEHRI and Amnesty International. 

CEHRI have been supporting him and his family since several years, which has included filing a complaint and advocacy before the United Nations Committee Working Group on Arbitrary Detention;  pursuing legal action alongside his wife while Ghaderi was still detained without access to a lawyer; and  lodging a compensation claim according to the Verbrechensopfergesetz (VOG), which is an administrative avenue for victims of crimes.