“Mazi, bacheh khoshgel…I want you to put down the names of your ‘special friends’”. He picked up a list of names. “Let’s start here. Shirin Ebadi. You have four phone numbers for her. When and where was the first time you had sex with her?”

Shirin Ebadi was a Nobel Prize laureate and one of the most prominent human-rights lawyers in Iran. “I’ve never worked on any project with Mrs. Ebadi,” I said.

”Sheytoon, I am not asking about ‘projects’.”

“Sorry, I don’t understand your question…Sir, I think Mrs. Ebadi is a respectable married woman,” I said. “If I remember, I interviewed her for - “

He didn’t let me finish. He raised his right leg and kicked me hard in the right shoulder from behind.

“You’ve never fucked her?” he yelled. “So why do you have four numbers for her? Why don’t you have four phone numbers for my aunt?” I began to feel sorry for the poor woman. I wondered what she would do if she knew that her nephew was using her name so gratuitously.

“Sir, I have ten numbers for Mr. Ahmadinejad’s office,” I replied sarcastically.

As I expected, this brought another blow to my body. He continued to beat me, each kick came with greater force, sending waves of pain so bad I felt nauseous all the over again.