Attorney General's Attack on Ahmad Montazeri Following Audio File Release

The Attorney General of Iran implicitly defended the mass executions of prisoners in 1988 and strongly criticized the release of an audio file of a conversation between Ayatollah Montazeri and the judicial authorities of that time, accusing those behind its release of colluding with the Mojahedin-e Khalq group. According to ISNA, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri stated on Wednesday, August 17, that 'within the Islamic Republic, we see some who are playing along with the tune played by Israel, America, and the West, and are trying to cleanse the criminals among the Mojahedin.' The audio file, which dates back to the summer of 1988 and was recently released by the family of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, reveals the mass execution of Mojahed and Marxist prisoners that year. Ayatollah Montazeri, who was then the deputy leader of the Islamic Republic, harshly criticized the representatives of Ayatollah Khomeini, who were responsible for these executions, calling them 'criminals.' However, the Attorney General referred to the military operations of the Mojahedin in 1988, which advanced to Kermanshah, and implicitly defended the execution of Mojahed prisoners that followed these operations, labeling Ayatollah Montazeri as a 'naive Sheikh' who was 'caught in the hands of the Mojahedin.' He stated: 'Today, this act [the release of the aforementioned audio file] from the household of that naive Sheikh is very regrettable. That audio file, which was transferred to foreign radios years ago during a private meeting with some judicial officials present, has questioned the sanctity and dignity of the late Imam [Ayatollah Khomeini] with their vile act, and in an interview, they claim to have more documents that they will release in the future.' Previously, Ahmad Montazeri, the son of Ayatollah Montazeri, had stated in response to pressures against himself and his family regarding the release of this audio file that he still has many unpublished documents that he may release. However, the Attorney General responded: 'I say to him [Ahmad Montazeri], come and publish the documents of the crimes of Seyyed Mahdi Hashemi, the documents of the crimes in Isfahan and Qahderijan, where they used to put honorable people in sacks at night and take them to the desert. Let everyone know what crimes you committed. If you do not publish them, we have those documents, and they exist.' Seyyed Mahdi Hashemi, the brother-in-law of Ayatollah Montazeri, was a member of the Supreme Command Council of the Revolutionary Guards at the early establishment of the IRGC. He was later arrested after the exposure of the Islamic Republic's arms deal with the United States, known as Iran-Contra, and was executed on charges of murder, forgery, and creating discord among the forces of the Islamic Republic. In this context, the audio file of Ayatollah Montazeri's remarks was removed from his website 'by the order of the Ministry of Intelligence.' A member of Ayatollah Khomeini's office stated that the audio file of Montazeri's remarks is 'full of errors and distortions.' The Mojahedin-e Khalq organization reacted following the release of Ayatollah Montazeri's audio file. Alam al-Huda called for decisive action against Ahmad Montazeri due to the release of the audio file. There was a defense of the 1988 executions in response to Montazeri's audio file. Tajzadeh requested an apology from the 'government to the nation' for the 1988 executions. The implicit defense of the head of Iran's judiciary regarding the summer 1988 executions continues.