Murderers of Foruhars
From: Sam Ghandchi <ghandchi@iranscope.com>
Date: Sunday, January 07, 2001 7:50 PM
Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian
Subject: Murderers of Foruhars
We are now seeing in the news the Iranian intelligence ministry murderers
of Foruhars confess to the cold-blooded murders.
I would like to see the ones, whom on this NG were blaming
the Kurds and Zionists for these murders, and whitewashing
IRI agents on these brutal slaughters, to answer to the readership
of this NG.
Let also say that I am not happy with the way these
trials are done. There should have been open trials and
the accused should have had their attorney in a court
of law.
No matter how guilty, anyone should be entitled
to an open fair trial with the presence of attorney.
The excuse of national security to make the trials
closed-door is nonsense, because none of the ones
on trial are tried on spy charges. They are all
charged with homicide.
If IRI hangs these people, after these closed-door court
sessions, we will never know whether they have been
scapegoat by the regime, or not.
- Sam
********************************************************************
From:
pbridge130@aol.com
Date: Sun Jan 7, 2001 9:16 pm
Subject: Re: [iranscope] Murderers of Foruhars
In a message dated 1/7/01 10:57:28 PM EST,
ghandchi@home.com writes:
<< Let also say that I am not happy with the way these
trials are done. There should have been open trials and
the accused should have had their attorney in a court
of law.
(snip)
If IRI hangs these people, after these closed-door court
sessions, we will never know whether they have been
escape-goated by the regime, or not. >>
Dear Sam,
Everything you said was dead-on correct. I'm glad you raised the issues of
open trial and scape-goat. It's all too convenient for the government, and
the whole truth can never be known.
Peter
********************************************************************
From: Sam Ghandchi <ghandchi@home.com>
Date: Saturday, January 27, 2001 10:22 AM
Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian
Subject: Condemn Closed Door Trials/Sentences in Iran
The Foruhars and writers were slaughtered behind closed doors
and the ones alleged with their murder are now condemned to
death behind the closed doors. Not only I oppose death
sentence in general, I strongly oppose the closed-door
trials and sentences that are happening here.
For all that I am concerned, this can be nothing but making
these people scapegoat for these heinous murders. Islamic
Republic of Iran should make all these court proceedings
open to public. These have nothing to do with national
security. These individuals are simply being tried for murder
and not espionage and they should be entitled to open
trial and defense attorney in such court of law.
- Sam
********************************************************************
Saturday January 27 10:37 AM ET
Iran Court Orders Death in Serial Murder Case
By Jonathan Lyons
TEHRAN (Reuters) - A court on Saturday sentenced three ''rogue'' secret
agents to death and 12 others to terms up to life in prison for their part
in the 1998 murders of secular dissidents that rocked the Islamic Republic.
Judge Mohammad Reza Aqiqi of the Tehran military court, who heard the case
behind closed doors over the course of a month, ordered Ali Roshani,
Mahamoud Jafarzadeh and Ali Mohseni to be put to death, the official IRNA
news agency said.
Former mid-level intelligence officials Mostafa Kazemi and Mehrdad Alikhani,
who prosecutors say gave the orders to kill, were each sentenced to four
life sentences, IRNA said.
Under Iran's Islamic code, those who give the order to kill are rarely
sentenced to death, while those who carry out the act itself are subject to
execution. Three of the 18 defendants were acquitted.
IRNA said all of the verdicts could be appealed to the Supreme Court.
The case had been widely seen as a test of moderate President Mohammad
Khatami's campaign to introduce the rule of law and to gain control over the
intelligence apparatus, widely seen as the preserve of the clerical
establishment.
Trial Hit By Factional Rivalry
The intelligence minister was forced out after the historically autonomous
service confessed that ``rogue'' agents from its own ranks had killed
nationalists Darioush and Parvaneh Forouhar and writers Mohammad Mokhtari
and Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh.
However, the process was marred by charges from reformists backing Khatami
that prosecutors had ignored links to high-ranking clerics and intelligence
officials and only pursued low-level defendants as part of a cover-up.
The victims families boycotted the trial and dismissed their lawyers in
protest against a virtual gag order imposed by top judiciary officials and
what they said was the removal of key evidence from the court files.
Reformists say the killings were among more than 80 murders and
``disappearances'' stretching over 10 years as part of a wider campaign by
state-sponsored death squads to silence opposition.
But conservatives say the murderers had ties to the reformist camp and were
part of an effort to discredit Iran's establishment and force an overhaul of
the secret service.
Judge Aqiqi ordered the trials to be held behind closed doors, citing
national security concerns. Few details of the proceedings emerged, feeding
fears in some corners that the truth would never be known.
The most senior government agent arrested in connection with the killings,
deputy Intelligence Minister Saeed Emami, died in custody after drinking
hair remover, but many are skeptical of the official coroner's verdict of
suicide.
Two pro-reform investigative journalists and a former vice- president have
said responsibility for the murders goes much higher and that several senior
clerics are implicated in the affair.
All three have since been jailed, and the judiciary, dominated by
hard-liners, has vowed to prosecute anyone else making ``unauthorized
revelations'' about the case.