Khalil Dardmand, the Iranian pilgrim who was arrested in Saudi Arabia for raising the picture of martyr Qassem Soleimani

Khalil Dardmand had no idea that raising the picture of the man respected by millions in his country and across the world would lead to his arrest in Saudi Arabia during his pilgrimage to Mecca with his mother.

In front of the holy Kaaba, Dardmand raised a picture of martyr Qassem Soleimani and was detained for 80 days amid a total blackout regarding his fate and suffering. Dardmand was only released after high-level contacts with Riyadh.

In an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen, Khalil Dardmand revealed that he decided to perform this holy visit to Mecca "on behalf of our martyr Soleimani, the freedom fighter who combatted terrorism and the takfiri ideology, and on behalf of Imam Khomeini."

"While I was raising the photo of Soleimani, I was arbitrarily arrested by the police, and I was taken to the detention center of the Al-Masjid Al-Haram [The Grand Mosque]," he said.

Dardmand considers Major-General Soleimani as a man who symbolizes resistance and combatting terrorism, and on this, he said: "I wanted to confirm this truth: when Muslims around the world perform pilgrimage peacefully and safely, they owe [Soleimani] this visit because of the security and peace [he created.]"

Dardmand noted that when he was arrested, the forces "did not even let me put my shoes on or take my personal belongings," adding, "they assaulted me and took me to the detention center of the Grand Mosque in an oppressive way, where I remained there for whole 11 days."

While no charges were filed against him before the arrest, the reason for the arrest was not clear. However, what had been announced to the public was that he "breached security inside the Grand Mosque," Dardmand said.

He lost contact with his mother, who left Mecca, along with some of the Iranian pilgrims who witnessed his arrest. Dardmand, though, was able to send his parents a WhatsApp message telling them where he was. But the Saudi authorities did not allow him to contact Iran's Hajj Association or Iranian officials.

Dardmand mentioned that in the first detention center, there were detainees of different nationalities, as all those detained inside the premises were taken to that detention center. He added that Saudi authorities focused on religiously-committed Iranian youths just because they wear the Iranian keffiyeh, which showcases that the pilgrims are Iranian.

Dardmand then described the detention center, saying "it was a room, around 50 sqm, that housed more than 20 detainees." He added that the conditions were "unhealthy" in the detention center, which lacked the most basic human rights, noting that the detainees were treated "violently".

"I begged them for several days, insistently, to allow me to call the authorities in the Iranian Hajj Association or to call my old mother who had not heard from me for four days. They did not respond to my call," Dardmand told Al Mayadeen.

He confirmed that he was not subject to any physical assault during the detention, but he added that "entering prison without any fault and having to bear the nasty smelling food they serve were for me the biggest psychological torture."

"I spent 40 days in solitary confinement without knowing what I was accused of, or why I was arrested or transferred to this prison. But I was thinking that the illusion that takes over the Saudi officials' minds and the panic they have over General Soleimani made them think that whoever is a supporter must be a freedom fighter. During the investigation, they focused on this point in particular," Dardmand said.

"I explained to them that I raised the picture of martyr Soleimani in a spontaneous way, but I do not know why they made such a big deal out of it."

About the prisons he was transferred to, Dardmand said they sent him from Mecca to Jeddah "under the pretext of moving me to Iran," adding that transferring him anywhere, whether from prison to court or anywhere else, was done while he was blindfolded or handcuffed.

"On the day they tricked me into believing that they will set me free," Dardmand said, they took him to Jeddah without blindfolding him, and by reading the signs on the road, he could tell that they were actually going to Jeddah. However, he added, "then they blindfolded me, handcuffed me, investigated with me, and took me for some medical tests. I thought they will set me free."

"They took me to a frightening place. When I touched the edges and walls of the hallways, I felt the bars," Dardmand said, "and I knew I am in a solitary confinement prison, facing physical abuse, as they used to lower the temperature of the cell, which was without a bed, and serve food in an insulting and inhumane way."

After 40 days in solitary confinement, Dardmand went on to say that he was released to join other prisoners in another cell, where there were nine detainees from Pakistan, Africa, Egypt, and Indonesia.

Dardmand told Al Mayadeen that "the state security prison was one of the most horrifying, as they used to barbarically torture detainees of various nationalities."

Iranian pilgrim Khalil Dardmand tells Al Mayadeen the details of his arrest in Saudi Arabia

Dardmand asked the Saudi officials a question through Al Mayadeen: "Does Saudi Arabia support terrorism and takfiris? If not, why are they fighting the picture of martyr Soleimani, who, himself, combatted terrorism and eliminated ISIS and takfiris? Why are they considering raising the picture of General Soleimani in the mosque a crime?"

"After they released me, they gave me back my passport and personal belongings. They put me in a vehicle, and we were transported by a military escort. We left from Jeddah to Mecca, and then they took me out of the car and told me 'you are free,'" Dardmand said. "They left me, and I did not have any money, while they were filming every detail of my release. This is when I got scared that they would assassinate me there."

"A few minutes later, a car stopped, and I was able to contact one of the Iranian officials there. He quickly came to the place and took me to the building of the Iranian pilgrims, and they sent me back to Iran," he added.

Khalil Dardmand concluded his interview with Al Mayadeen by saying: "It was a very difficult experience. My message to the Saudi officials is that this is not the way you deal with pilgrims, and this does not befit your stature and goes against your claims."