‘Daily Show’ leads to Iranian reporter torture

Bahari in Burundi

Iranian internal politics mean that appearing on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart can be dangerous to your health. Imprisioned Iranian-Canadian Newsweek reporter Maziar Bahari was kept in custody for four months in his country of origin.

Bahari was taken into interrogations at Tehran’s Evin prison after reporting for Newsweek on post-election demonstrations and taking video footage of Basij paramilitaries opening fire on civillians.

Bahari wrote a captivity account for Newsweek. Apparently, being an interview subject for The Daily Show will bring you to the interest of Iranian intelligence:

“Well,” said Mr. Rosewater, who had been fairly quiet up to this point, “we have interesting video footage of you. That may persuade you to be more cooperative.” I could not imagine what that might be. Something personal? Something that might compromise my friends? But…I reminded myself I had done nothing wrong.

I saw the flicker of a laptop monitor under my blindfold. Then I heard someone speaking. It was a recording of another prisoner’s confession. “It’s not that one,” said the second interrogator. “It’s the one marked ‘Spy in coffee shop.’ ” Mr. Rosewater fumbled with the computer. The other man stepped in to change the DVD. And then I heard the voice of Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.

Only a few weeks earlier, hundreds of foreign reporters had been allowed into the country in the run-up to the election. Among them was Jason Jones, a “correspondent” for Stewart’s satirical news program. Jason interviewed me in a Tehran coffee shop, pretending to be a thick-skulled American. He dressed like some character out of a B movie about mercenaries in the Middle East—with a checkered Palestinian kaffiyeh around his neck and dark sunglasses. The “interview” was very short. Jason asked me why Iran was evil. I answered that Iran was not evil. I added that, as a matter of fact, Iran and America shared many enemies and interests in common. But the interrogators weren’t interested in what I was saying. They were fixated on Jason.

“Why is this American dressed like a spy, Mr. Bahari?” asked the new man.

“He is pretending to be a spy. It’s part of a comedy show,” I answered.

“Tell the truth!” Mr. Rosewater shouted. “What is so funny about sitting in a coffee shop with a kaffiyeh and sunglasses?”

The memoir ceases to be as funny when Bahari begins to discuss the physical torture he underwent. Bahari was also held in solitary confinement while inside Evin.

For more, check out Bahari’s interview with 60 Minutes.