Ukrainian traveler miraculously escaped the death penalty in Iran: he was convicted because of the drone

Artemy Surin, a traveler from Ukraine, traveled around the world when he was detained in Iran on suspicion of espionage. The embassy managed to help out Surin: he was released from prison a few days after his arrest, and the traveler finished the round-the-world tour. He rode, walked and sailed (no flights) 280 days, traveled on six continents and crossed the equator twice.

Photo by Artemy Surin: facebook.com/artsurin

In the interview Present Time Artemy Surin told how he was traveling to Iran at gunpoint, how he had deceived a convoy to ask for help, and what he felt when he was arrested under the article providing for the death penalty.

Pakistan. Hospitality and machine gunners

- I was faced with the task of moving to Iran without using a flight. Like every Around the World, the idea is to carry out a full-fledged large circle, a long journey, without resorting to aircraft. Without losing contact with the earth or with the ocean.

Artemy (right) in India. Photo by Artemy Surin: facebook.com/artsurin

The region on the border of Pakistan and Iran is called Balochistan. This is one of the most controversial and, one might even say, dangerous places on earth. Many Pakistanis have warned that this is an unbearable place, it is disgusting, it is not controlled by the Pakistani government, the clan clans rule there. There are frequent cases of terrorist attacks, a regular bus can stop the militants and stop by, check ID, execute on the spot.

I went on this journey on a regular bus. I arrived in the capital, Quetta, which is a rather dusty city, unfavorable in terms of development. Right at the bus stop, I was somehow, let’s say, respectfully detained by the police, who, together with the military and the Levi anti-terrorist unit, are responsible for convoying any foreigner on the territory of Balochistan. They took me to the police station, where I needed to obtain a special permit/NOC to travel around this region. From that moment on, I never took a single step without an armed escort. He accompanied me whenever I needed to buy water, go to the toilet, or buy a bus ticket to get to the Iranian border.

Balochistan. Photo by Artemy Surin: facebook.com/artsurin

Their main weapon is a Kalashnikov assault rifle, with each guard it must be available. According to their rules, for one tourist the minimum number of escorts is three people. This was, to put it mildly, an amazing experience for me. On all continents you traveled, and in principle, such a powerful conviction was formed that the world is open, the world is safe, the world is simple to travel. But in this region, of course, one feels that in reality life goes differently.

Arriving in the evening at the border, I planned to go there, but they put me in a closed police station, specially guarded, and said that I should spend the night there. I slept on the floor right by the head of this regional department, but there was water, they brought water, food, tea. That is, in principle, treated fairly respectfully. The next morning, having slept at the police station, I left for the Iranian side.

Iran. “It didn’t look like a disaster.”

- When I passed the border guards and Iranian customs officers, my things were inspected. Among them was a drone, to which I had issued a permit in advance — permission to shoot in Iran. [The border guards] recorded all his data, registered. That is, the information that the traveler entered with the drone, was, I did not receive any prohibitions on the border, except that it can not be removed in Tehran and near military and nuclear facilities. That, in principle, is clear.

Then I moved inland. This is the same Baluchistan, but it is called in Iran Sistan and Baluchistan. The region is also the most unsafe in Iran, but it looks quite calm.

On the second day I stopped in a small village, it is called Heranak. There is an abandoned ancient ghost village, which is located on the edge of the existing settlement. Nobody lives in it for a long time, it is a tourist object.

It looked like this: the ruins, behind the ruins - the gardens of the locals, beyond the gardens - a small mosque, a river and the mountains. There were no objects suspicious, dangerous in sight. Moreover, I checked at the entrance: whether there are any prohibition signs. Nothing. I checked the drone cards, which also signal the prohibitions. There was nothing like that.

On the subject: Iran claims 17 arrests CIA spies for arrest, some sentenced to death

He took off, started flying, filming this entire area, looking for a beautiful angle. Maybe 14-15 minutes into the flight, I heard the sound of sirens. Literally a few moments later, a police pickup truck drove up and three people got out: one officer and two armed soldiers. They came up and through the driver I hired to travel around Iran, they began to say: “Are you filming with a drone?” - “Yes, here are all the documents.” - “Why are you renting a police station?” I say: “Of course, I didn’t film any police station. You can see the footage."

From the place of detention I was taken to the police station. We took fingerprints, the first protocols went. Withdrew my passport, they still gave me a call to the consul. The consul said that they do not have the right to take away a passport, only the drone can be withdrawn. By some fights, talking to them, he forced them to return my passport to me, but the drone was withdrawn. This whole story ended on the evening in 9. The following morning, a trial was scheduled at 7: 30.

Artemy with one of the policemen in Pakistan Balochistan. Photo by Artemy Surin: facebook.com/artsurin

Then it did not look like a catastrophe. It looked just like a problem with the removal of the drone and some other, possibly fines. In the evening I returned to the hotel where I stayed, I was alarmed, but I am sure that everything should be fine. I remembered that I didn’t take anything forbidden, there was nothing like that on the frames. And the fact that I returned the passport, I was somehow encouraged.

Court and prison. “I understood that I needed to save myself”

“The next morning, I arrived at the court of Ardakan.” The trial was held at eight - the beginning of the ninth. Everyone was searched at the entrance to the court; I was not allowed to carry a phone with me, cameras — nothing. This is all I left in the car of a taxi driver who accompanied me from the very beginning.

The trial looked more like a farce, to be honest. Fars in Farsi, such a tautology. No one provided an interpreter, the meeting took place in 5 minutes. When I asked for an interpreter, the judge said: “If you don’t testify, the case will be considered without you.” I realized that I had to defend myself.

In addition to the judge, the driver and I were present at the meeting. Well, and the guards, the escorts who stood near the door. Without particularly listening to my arguments - this was evident from the rhetoric, facial expressions, and behavior of the judge - they announced the decision, which the driver translated to me. “You are accused of espionage against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the court orders your arrest.” For me, of course, this was a shock; I did not expect it. It was like a backhand blow.

Since then, the situation has deteriorated significantly. A guard was assigned to me, which did not depart in principle. I was waiting in the courtroom when — as I understood it, because no one explained anything to me — a decision and an order would be issued. At my requests to explain something, to tell, to give elementary waters, nobody reacted. Everything was, to put it mildly, unfriendly, with some even contempt. At that time, the defendants were brought to the court in shackles on their feet, including, not only in handcuffs. The whole situation looked pretty dismal.

I understood that somehow I need, I will not be afraid of this word, to be saved. Since I didn't have a phone, he was in the car, I simulated a pancreatitis attack. I managed, thanks to the breathing practices, to drive myself into a bad state: when you turned pale, you sweat up — you could do this kind of brain hyperventilation. It all looked believable. I said I need pills. In fact, I was really bad overall. You can imagine the condition yourself: you have just been arrested on charges of espionage, for which life imprisonment or the death penalty.

I was allowed to go to the car, opened the trunk, there were my bags. I began to look for these medicines, I searched for a long time, slightly relaxed my vigilance and thanks to this I was able to get my phone. I threw it off, I wanted it in my underwear, but he jumped into the pant leg, almost fell out of the pant leg. I walked neatly, barely, trying not to bend my leg, so that it all fell out.

We went back into the hall, then another “attack” seized me. I threw the phone into my belt bag and ran into the toilet in order to cope with these attempts, relatively speaking. The security guard followed me and heard that the whole process was really going on with me. But the most important thing is that at that moment I gained at least some access to communication.

I contacted the embassy, ​​wrote that I was arrested, wrote a post on Facebook, and quickly described the situation in several theses that I was arrested in Iran on suspicion of spying. Long could not be in the toilet. I went out, drank water from the tap, came back, then ran back with urge. They put two fingers [in the mouth], reproduced all these things, so as not to arouse suspicion.

They refused to show me the decision, no one gave me even to see it. It was in Farsi, I would not understand anything, but even this was not provided - a solution that concerns your life and freedom, you can not look. I only saw him in the hands of the police. I was taken to the second police station. I asked everyone when I was allowed to make a call, when I could get in touch. To which I was answered: in the next place. And they laughed.

On the subject: In the United States resume the death penalty: how the Americans responded and what will change for those sentenced

Balochistan. Photo by Artemy Surin: facebook.com/artsurin

The next place was the prison, which is located in the city of Ardakan, more precisely outside the city, in the desert. Huge territory, high fence, somewhere meters 10-15, barbed wire. In this prison they made a so-called checkin for me: they registered height, weight, data. Then there was the doctor, who asked if there were any addictions, illnesses or tattoos. In prison was probably the most unpleasant episode. Attitude does not even want to remember. There was nothing so terrible, but I managed to get my portion of some blows, slaps and insults.

In prison, I haven't asked any special questions. I think that people who have such a mutilated psyche work there. Perhaps they are pleased to observe and mock. I have never [dealt] with this before, I don’t want it and I don’t want it to anyone. Any assessment to a completely different world is extremely difficult to give.

Exemption and evacuation

— It was the evening of the same day, late evening. [I was taken in for] hours-long interrogation. An officer from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who spoke English, reviewed all the data. A whole group of intelligence officers worked on this: a drone, permit, all the footage that was filmed, all the footage that I have, evidence that I am traveling around the world, content analysis of the entire contents of the phone, publications on the Internet that were about to me. The bags were simply gutted down to the slightest speck of dust that was there.

After that, a decision was announced to me that shocked me. I did not understand if this is true or something is wrong here. He said that we welcome you to Iran, we hope that this will not spoil your impressions, you can take all your materials, your documents and you are free.

Artemy in Armenia, 10 days after release. Photo by Artemy Surin: facebook.com/artsurin

As soon as we got out of the gate with the driver, he was hysterical. He said that it was a miracle, it could not be. I immediately dialed the embassy and heard a sobering reply that one should not relax in any way. The situation can change within one hour, I need to find a safe place, get rid of the driver, turn off the phone card and get in touch through another device. They send a diplomatic car - and this is 700 kilometers from Tehran - and they will evacuate me on it.

We kept in touch every hour as they drove. Somewhere in 4 in the morning they knocked on this hotel, went into my room, immediately checked all the bags, was there anything extra. Then they ran into the car, put me in the car. It was already the territory of Ukraine, there seems to be relative security. We 700 kilometers literally overcame in five and a half hours. I spent about another day at the embassy in Tehran, I could not go anywhere.

The next morning we went in a diplomatic car with diplomatic numbers to cross the border with Azerbaijan. We reached Astara. There I didn’t get out of the car, and my passport, along with diplomatic passports, was taken for inspection. There was a certain delay, very nervous. After a while, we were let through, and we overcame the last barrier, the last booth in front of the bridge that divides the border between Iran and Azerbaijan. And when we already entered Azerbaijan, then, of course, there was joy, there were hugs, there was some feeling of victory and a successful special operation, you cannot call it any other way.

I was released, not finding a bit of any violation. I am convinced that if a police station had really got somewhere in the frame, nothing would have worked, it is quite obvious. No one would let out. Whether they let me go because there was nothing disturbed, or diplomacy played a role — it is hard for me to judge. I can only say that the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the Ukrainian state did not stand aside, conducted a rescue operation brilliantly. I think all factors played.

Path traveled by a traveler. Photo by Artemy Surin: facebook.com/artsurin

After leaving Iran, Artemy Surin visited Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. He completed a world tour in Odessa, where he arrived by sea ferry from Batumi. During his journey, Surin traveled about 100 thousands of kilometers.

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