 Suspected spies and assassins were "beaten, deprived of sleep, and subjected to the qapani" (the binding of arms tightly behind the back) which sometimes caused a joint to crack.But for political prisoners who were primarily Communists there was a "conspicuous absence of torture" under Reza Shah's rule.The main form of pressure was solitary confinement and the withholding of "books, newspapers, visitors, food packages, and proper medical care".