'I was tortured for saying the flogging must end in Iran'

The treatment of Arash was brutal. "They hung me upside down and handcuffed me with a bar under my knees," he says. "They started kicking and punching me ... beating me in every part of my back, my stomach, face, everywhere. My backbone was broken. But the pain was worst when they hit my face. My nose was already broken, my teeth were broken. Every time they hit my face there was a lot of pain. I was ready to say anything."

Arash still walks with a profound limp, and is awaiting his second operation to mend a seriously injured