The Revolution could have never been realized without the leadership of the clergy, and if this support is diminished it will not last. — Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
The passing of Ezatollah Sahabi and the tragic killing of his daughter Haleh sparked a new wave of bewilderment and anger among most Iranians. Ezatollah Sahabi died of old age after much suffering at the hands of the Shah’s regime and the Islamic Republic. Those who watched or heard of the killing of Haleh at the funeral of her father were shocked, heartbroken and angry at the circumstances that led to her death. There was no reason—as if any reason can justify this heinous act. But the fact remains that the best sons and daughters of this land, those who struggled and went to prison under the two regimes, fought for one thing: freedom, the rule of law and observance of the very basic rights of all citizens.
In the midst of this cruel episode, Hashemi Rafsanjani, former President of the Republic, member of the Assembly of Experts and the Expediency Council, also expressed his condolences at these deaths. But are we to believe such expressions of sympathy? I am not sure if we can, considering that he, as the President of the country at the time, was responsible for the imprisonment and torture of innocent men and women. It is best to just look at the record. Mr. Rafsanjani, who is now the self-styled champion of human rights, only a decade and more ago was himself an instrument of power. He not only endorsed the cruelty of the regime but was a witness and an accomplice in its crime. Hence, he has no place in a future government in our country.
Habibollah Davaran, a pharmacist and a Melli Mazhabi who died at the age of 76 after enduring prison and torture, and his colleague Farhad Behbani, wrote a book called “In the Company of Haji Aqa.” They wrote of their torture at the time when Mr. Rafsanjani was in power. Mehdi Bazargan was right when he told F. Behbehani that he should write his memoir for future generations- to grasp what took place in Iran’s prisons—with so many men and women going through psychological and physical torture. It is for all of Iran to realize that such history cannot and should never be repeated.
Excerpts from the book
“Yes, they arrested me three months after the publication of the letter, known as the 90-signature letter. There were 22 others who were arrested and blindfolded in Tehran. I will only give you a glimpse of my tenth day in prison. They took me from my solitary cell to the interrogation room and sat me on a chair. Two interrogators came in. One was referred to as Haji Aqa and had an assistant called Mr. 25. They both sat in front of me. I don’t recall the first two questions but all of a sudden Haji Aqa asked me who killed Sheikh Fazlollah Nouri.* I said ‘I don’t remember. I think he was sentenced by a cleric and then executed.’ Within seconds, at the order of Haji Aqa, Mr. 25 slapped me so hard that I fell on the ground. He asked some other questions and every time, more slaps lacerated my face. When he got fed up with me, he asked abruptly ‘Who is Fazlollah Borghei?’ At this time, I was so shaken and in pain that I asked in astonishment ‘I don’t know; I have nothing to do with him.’ They didn’t wait for my reply and the three of them took to me to a dark room, chained my feet and hands and put me on a wooden stretcher. And he ordered Mr. 25 to beat and beat. After saying Besmellah, he beat me on the soles of my feet. When I had no more energy left and I said Ey Allah, he told me, ‘What did you say? You brought up the name of Allah?’ Then he ordered Mr. 25 to go to number 2.
[Referring to the level of torture]. When the beating started I do not remember what happened. I just knew that I passed out. I only thought of those who went on to number 3.”
“Yes, Brother, Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani, this is what happened to those of us who were mere critics of the regime in those days. We did nothing except to express our criticism within the framework of law and were doing nothing clandestinely. We only wrote a letter to the President, that is you. If they did that to me, a 51- year old man, and I know my patience was limited, God knows what they did to the younger people.”
The group known as the 90 signature campaign wrote to the then President of Iran, Hashemi Rafsanjani. Among those were numerous well-known political figures. They only demanded an end to economic mismanagement and social abuse. But 23 of them were arrested; some are deceased now, among them Ezatollah Sahabi. They underwent severe torture and abuse and were branded as spies for America. They were made to confess for “crimes” they never committed, all under the watchful eyes of Mr. Rafsanjani.
“Fourteen of them were held in solitary confinement under physical and mental torture and were freed finally. Nine others were sentenced without having access to lawyers. Many were in their 60’s and 70’s and had undergone physical abuse during the Pahlavi era. The beatings known as Taazir was not justifiable even under the laws of the Islamic Republic. Such beatings resulted in kidney failure, heart arrest and total physical torment. Is it justifiable to torture an individual because they wrote a letter to the President? Does an Islamic society permit such measures, which are against the principles of Islam and humanity? Unfortunately Mr. Rafsanjani, in his clever way, while responding to questions from the foreign and Iranian media and more specifically to Aftab-e- Emrooz, said, “If these arrests were made in response to the letter, it was incorrect but we must investigate why the arrests were made in the first place? (1378/9/30)
In that same year, Rafsanjani said to a reporter from Le Monde: “The Liberals who were recently arrested were spies and working for the U.S. government and taking their orders from the said government.”
Fourteen of those arrested are no longer with us. Twenty three are in poor health.
How long can this abuse and the infringements upon the rights of our society continue? Should we trust the likes of Rafsanjani or others who were in power at some point? Should our society rely upon people who have already shown their true character in statements and practice?
The answer is NO.
The bottom line is that even the sons and daughters of interrogators such as Haji Aqa or Mr. 25 should not live in an Iran that calls for torture of its citizens because they objected to certain ideas…..and still do.
In the Company of Haji Aqa: A Story of a Confession, the memoirs of two prisoners of the 90 Signature Letter, Habibollah Davaran and Farhad Behbehani: Omid-e Farda, 1382, Tehran, Iran. Translations by Fariba Amini.
* Sheikh Fazlollah Noori was a Shiite Muslim cleric who fought against the Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1906 and was executed as a result. Today, he is considered a martyr by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
