Children of Mahmoud Taleghani: They Escaped from Our Father's Autopsy, We Are Suspicious of His Death

Two children of Ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani defended the founders of the People's Mojahedin Organization, criticized the executions in the early days of the revolution, and expressed suspicion regarding their father's death. Mehdi and Tahereh Taleghani, in an interview published on Wednesday, September 7, on the 'Khabar Online' website, revealed untold stories about their father's life and death. Mehdi Taleghani stated that 'if Taleghani were alive, many of the paths we took in the revolution would not have been taken,' and that there was a '90 percent probability' that a war would not have occurred, the U.S. embassy would not have been occupied, and his father opposed the early executions of the revolution. He mentioned the widespread executions carried out by Sadegh Khalkhali and asserted that his father was against these executions. He recounted witnessing a meeting between his father and Khalkhali at Ahmad Khomeini's house, where Mahmoud Taleghani angrily confronted Khalkhali, asking, 'Where did you get this Qasim al-Jabbarin that you execute people without reason?' Mehdi did not provide further details about this meeting but noted that 'unfortunately, Mr. Khalkhali was supported.' Hussein Yousefi Eshkouri, a religious intellectual, also recently spoke about Ahmad Khomeini's 'support' for Assadollah Lajevardi, the former head of Evin prison and the revolutionary prosecutor in the 1980s. Members of the Khomeini family, including Hassan and Ali Khomeini, have explicitly defended their grandfather's actions following the release of an audio file of Hossein Ali Montazeri's opposition to the 1988 executions. Criticism of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was another focus of the interview. Mehdi Taleghani responded to a question about the 'sabotage' of Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani by stating, 'People are not sabotaged without reason.' He added that 'Mr. Hashemi sent his friends to prison, for example, he imprisoned Mr. Sahabi and said he wanted to reduce his influence.' Taleghani attributed Hashemi Rafsanjani's treatment of his friends to 'power' and stated that 'Mr. Hashemi maintained a very master-servant mentality after the revolution.' This son of Mahmoud Taleghani also referred to requests made to him to address people's problems, stating that people 'really think we are at the level of Mr. Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani.' The attack and criticism of Ali Mohammad Bashari and Mohammad Gharazi, two ministers in Hashemi Rafsanjani's government during the arrest of Mojtaba Taleghani in 1979, were also discussed. Mojtaba Taleghani was arrested in April 1979 by a group of military personnel under the command of Mohammad Gharazi, and his arrest during the tense days of 1979 caused severe distress to his father, leading to his protest and departure from Tehran. Tahereh Taleghani also recounted a memory from Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri related to her father's imprisonment on September 7, 1978. Mehdi Taleghani spoke of what he called the 'jealousy' and 'animosity' of some in the Islamic Republic towards his father, adding, 'They thought as long as Taleghani was in power, they would not be in charge, so it was better for them if Taleghani was not around.' He noted that after learning about the events of September 7, his father told Montazeri in prison, 'The revolution is happening now, the Shah is definitely going, and people trust us clergy. Woe to the day when people trust us to come to power and we do not know what to do; in that case, the situation will become such that people will lose their trust, and at that time, they will lose their faith as well.' 'They escaped from our father's autopsy, we are suspicious of his death.' Mehdi Taleghani described the founders of the People's Mojahedin Organization as 'very good people' and stated that while his father was alive, 'the Mojahedin had no problems.' Taleghani added that his father, along with Hussein Khomeini, Mohammad Montazeri, and others, had contact with members of the People's Mojahedin Organization but believed they should not have armed themselves. This son of Mahmoud Taleghani stated that he considers his father's death 'suspicious' and has many questions about the circumstances of his father's death even after 37 years. Tahereh Taleghani, another child of Mahmoud Taleghani, confirmed her brother's statements, saying, 'For all of the children of Mr. Taleghani, his death is suspicious.' Mehdi Taleghani also responded to the question of whether they have pursued their suspicions, stating, 'How should we pursue it? At the very beginning of the revolution, the late Sadr Haj Seyed Javad was the Attorney General, he suggested an autopsy, but they said a Mujtahid should not be autopsied, meaning they escaped from it.' This son of Taleghani added that his father had mild diabetes and high blood pressure, but 'it is not supposed that someone with high blood pressure and diabetes suddenly has a stroke at the age of 68.' Mehdi Taleghani also mentioned that on the night his father died, the phones at two of his residences on Bahar and Iran streets were cut off, and two days before his death, his father's house on Bahar street was robbed. Taleghani spoke of the 'negligence' in bringing a doctor to his father's bedside, stating, 'There were three hospitals around my father's house; Mr. Chehpur, the father of Mohammad Reza's wife, walked on foot from Iran street to Ishratabad square to bring Dr. Sheibani to my father, Dr. Sheibani who had never practiced medicine in his life.' Tahereh Taleghani also added to her brother's remarks, stating that in hospitals, 'apparently the doctor, the medical staff on duty, did not have oxygen tanks or ambulances.' Mehdi Taleghani further stated that the least accusation that can be made against Mr. Chehpur is that he 'was negligent.' Mr. Taleghani was a member of the National Front of Iran and one of the founders of the Freedom Movement of Iran. He was introduced as the Friday Prayer Leader of Tehran by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 and passed away in September 1979.