Daguerreotypes, pages 48 to 60 Summary and Analysis

From the Notes 5: Kapuscinski speaks with a middle-aged couple about the horrors of Savak. Savak agents do not really care if one is innocent or guilty of speaking against the Shah. They take in the guilty and innocent alike, so as to create more fear and intimidation in the populace. They use brutal torture methods like extracting fingernails and drilling into skulls, and so even innocent people profess guilt so as to avoid further torture. Savak can hold public trials or closed military trials at their discretion, so there is no accountability. Artists and academics are among the many targets Savak chooses.

Photograph 8: This is the photograph of a boy of three whose family is kidnapped by Savak. Savak's torture methods are legendary; a favored device is called the "frying pan," consisting of an electrically heated table...