Jailed for two months and charged with obstructing justice, Ghadir Esmaeili, a 34-year-old Iranian permanent resident in Japan, claims he's a victim of police brutality, although other than his damaged eye he lacks damning visual evidence like the notorious video footage of L.A. police beating Rodney King.
Esmaeili claims he was confronted by police, was roughed up even though he was cooperative, and was allowed to leave but was then placed into the system when he vowed to lodge a complaint.
Setagaya police meanwhile have an array of claims against him, ranging from allegations that he shoved a sergeant, even in the presence of more than a dozen other officers, that he appeared to be high on drugs, although this was never substantiated, and that he identified himself as a member of al-Qaeda who had a bomb in his car.