Irishman tells of PTSD after Iran prison ordeal

Bernard Phelan was detained in the Iranian city of Mashad last October

A man from the Republic of Ireland who was released from an Iranian prison in May has spoken of suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) .

Bernard Phelan, 64, is originally from Clonmel, County Tipperary, but grew up in Blackrock, County Dublin.

He was detained in the north-eastern city of Mashad last October

Mr Phelan was accused of "providing information to an enemy country" and sentenced to six-and-a-half years prison in March.

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The Paris-based travel consultant had been visiting Iran since 2017, promoting the country as a tourist destination.

As a dual-citizen, he was travelling on a French passport at the time of his arrest.

Mr Phelan was detained on 3 October in the north-eastern city of Mashad during a wave of anti-government protests that have seen millions take to the streets.

He was held for allegedly taking photographs of police officers and a mosque that had been burned.

Mr Phelan has hypertensive heart disease and chronic bone and eyesight issues, prompting an appeal for his release on humanitarian grounds.

'I wake up crying'

Speaking to Irish broadcaster RTÉ he said some everyday things could trigger memories and French authorities had assigned him a psychiatrist.

"There are nightmares. I don't sleep well, I’m on sleeping tablets - nightmares of being on the floor and being kicked by somebody. I wake up crying. It's not easy," he said.

While in his cell, he said, he could hear beatings taking place through the night. He said that while in an interrogation centre, he slept on the floor with just a blanket for about three weeks.

'White torture'

He described the experience there as "terrible", as he shared a cell with 20 other people, adding that things got "tense" at times given the assorted mixture of prisoners.

His main worry in prison was the potential for trouble with other prisoners as when there were arguments among prisoners, "you didn't know what was going to happen".

Mr Phelan said one prisoner accused him of being a member of so-called Islamic State, before making a throat-slitting gesture.

He added: "I wasn't afraid physically of the authorities, but they conducted what was called 'white torture', which is this whole system of building up your hopes and crashing them… it's psychological torture.

"I got very pessimistic. I didn't know if my health would stick up to this lifestyle of not great food, no exercise, just mentally cracking."

'You will die in prison'

Mr Phelan recalled his fears during his time in prison and detailed the reality of being told he could die there.

"There were some scary moments. The most scary was in the cellar of the courthouse," he said.

"The first judge I saw, they tried to force me to sign documents, all in Persian. And I wouldn't sign them. They brought a guard in to persuade me and I said I wouldn't."

He added: "When I left the office of the judge, he said through his translator, 'You will die in prison'."

Mr Phelan described the Irish diplomatic response to his detention as "more than decent".

"I don't know exactly what they did," he said. "The Irish and the Iranians have no particular reason for being angry with each other. I think I was just the wrong person, in the wrong place, at the wrong time."