A federal court in the United States has rejected multiple motions by Parviz Sabeti, a onetime security chief in pre-revolutionary Iran, to dismiss a landmark lawsuit accusing him of aiding and abetting the torture of dissidents in the 1970s.
In a ruling issued on Tuesday, the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida allowed the case against Sabeti to move forward under the Torture Victim Protection Act, finding that the plaintiffs—three former political prisoners now living in the United States—had presented sufficient allegations to support their claims.
Sabeti served as a top official in Iran's secret police, SAVAK, from 1973 to 1978. He resurfaced publicly during Iran’s widespread 2022 protests after decades out of view.
Plaintiffs allege that the torture methods he oversaw—including electrocution, beatings and suspension by the wrists—left a legacy later adopted by the Islamic Republic.
The court cited historical records and other sources to support the plaintiffs’ contention that Sabeti provided “knowing substantial assistance” to agents who carried out detentions and torture aimed at suppressing opposition to the Shah’s government.
It also accepted allegations that he exercised “effective control” over those agents.
Statute of limitations and threats
The ruling rejected Sabeti’s argument that the claims were barred by the statute of limitations, noting allegations that he had lived under assumed names and that the plaintiffs faced lethal threats in Iran and the US.
In a separate ruling issued also on Tuesday, the court denied Sabeti’s request to strip the plaintiffs of their right to proceed under pseudonyms, citing “a plethora of serious threats” against the plaintiffs and their lawyers. The defendant’s connection to some individuals making threats was “deeply concerning,” the court said.
“Together, these decisions represent a tremendous victory for survivors and a decisive step forward in the pursuit of justice and accountability,” the Iranian Collective for Justice & Accountability, a group that describes itself as a coalition of torture survivors and legal experts, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The court ordered discovery — a pre-trial process for gathering evidence — to determine whether “extraordinary circumstances” had prevented the suit from being filed earlier, setting a January 2026 deadline for submissions.
