The MENA Prison Forum (MPF), medico international, and HAU Hebbel am Ufer, in collaboration with the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), are pleased to invite you to the fourth event of the series “Understanding Prison: MENA Prison Forum in Berlin."

The event will take place at 19:00 on 18 June 2025 at HAU Hebbel am Ufer (HAU2) in Berlin.

For tickets, please click here.

Film Screening “Surviving the Death Committee” (2025) by Nima Sarvestani / 84 min / Farsi with English Subtitles

“Surviving the Death Committee” is a gripping documentary that chronicles the decades-long pursuit of justice by two individuals whose lives were forever changed by the mass executions in Iran during the 1980s. One is a grieving brother, Nima Sarvestani (the director of the film), who lost his teenage brother to the brutal regime, and the other is Iraj Mesdaghi, a former political prisoner who survived the horrors of imprisonment and torture under Ayatollah Khomeini’s reign. Both men, exiled from their homeland, have dedicated their lives to holding those responsible for the atrocities accountable.

The film follows their relentless mission, which spans across continents, as they track down members of the notorious "Death Committees" responsible for the summary trials and executions of thousands of political dissidents. Their investigation leads to the historic arrest of Hamid Noury, a key executioner, in Stockholm, Sweden, marking the first time an Iranian official stands trial in Europe for crimes committed during that era. This unprecedented trial takes place against a backdrop where the Islamic Republic of Iran continues its grim legacy, carrying out daily executions to suppress dissent and silence voices of opposition, regardless of where individuals live.

Talk “Justice for Iran” / English / Nima Sarvestani and Patrick Kroker in conversation with Gilda Sahebi / English 

The screening will be followed by a discussion moderated by journalist Gilda Sahebi, and featuring the film’s director Nima Sarvestani and Patrick Kroker of the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR). The ECCHR works to represent survivors and victims of grave human rights violations in European courts, drawing on the principle of universal jurisdiction, and was involved in the case against Hamid Noury. This conversation will explore both the making of the film and the broader struggle for justice and accountability.

The MENA Prison Forum, an initiative of UMAM Documentation and Research (UMAM D&R), is dedicated to researching prison culture in the MENA region. It is an interdisciplinary international network that includes former prisoners, filmmakers, academics, and activists from various countries around the region. Together with medico international and HAU, the MPF is organizing a series of events in Berlin to promote critical and continual engagement on carceral conditions and dynamics in the MENA region.