Exclusive; Political Guardian of Mashallah Karami: The World Will Not Forget the Courage of Mohammad Mahdi Karami's Parents

Helge Limburg, a member of the German Parliament from the Green Party who has taken on the political guardianship of Mohammad Mahdi Karami, announced that he has also accepted the political guardianship of his father and lawyer. Mr. Limburg stated that Mashallah Karami and Amir Hossein Kouhkan are powerful individuals, and he proudly accepted their political guardianship. Mashallah Karami, the father of Mohammad Mahdi Karami, an executed protester, and his lawyer Amir Hossein Kouhkan were arrested by the Iranian government forces about two months ago. In an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America conducted on October 20, Mr. Limburg said, "Mashallah, the father of Mohammad Mahdi Karami, made great efforts to prevent his son's execution, which is something every father would do. He appeared in public, gave interviews, and called for his son's rescue. But when his son was killed, he did not succumb to depression. We all saw those brave images of Mohammad Mahdi Karami's parents after his burial. They went to the graves of other prisoners killed by the Islamic Republic because no one was at their graves. They went to that grave, paid their respects, and left a sign that says no one will be alone in this world or the next." Helge Limburg added, "Mashallah Karami stayed in touch with other families, continued to give interviews, and fought for justice in Iran, becoming an activist himself, which is why he ended up in prison. This is when I said that this father needs support now. With his incredible strength, he needs our support, and that is why I accepted the political guardianship of him and Mohammad Mahdi Karami's lawyer, Amir Hossein Kouhkan, because his lawyer has also been imprisoned. For such powerful individuals, I accepted their political guardianship from here in Germany." Mr. Limburg has been active for Mohammad Mahdi Karami since his arrest and the issuance of his death sentence. He even visited the Iranian embassy in Berlin during the holidays close to the New Year to personally deliver his request letter. The political guardian of Mashallah Karami stated about his current situation: "As of this moment, I have no news about their status and health. I wrote another letter to the Iranian embassy in Germany requesting their release, but I have not received any response to any of the letters I have sent to the embassy. I am in close and continuous contact with the German Foreign Ministry, which actively supports us, but they also have no news. I am genuinely worried because I do not know where these two brave men are." Helge Limburg, in response to the question of why there has been no response from the Islamic Republic to their requests, said: "I can only have my perspective on why they do not respond to me. As you know, many democracy activists in Iran are in prison, and many members of the German Parliament and representatives from other parliaments, including France and Sweden, are taking on their political guardianship. As a result, a heavy volume of letters is being sent to the embassy." Mr. Limburg added, "The second reason is that I think they hope we will let the matter go. They hope that if they do not respond to our activities and requests, we will eventually give up. But believe me, I do not know any political guardians in the German Parliament or other parliaments who will stop their activities as long as the people of Iran continue their activism." He added, "I will also add one more thing. It is not the case that our job is only to send letters and do nothing else. First of all, we try to remind public opinion in Europe and the democratic world every day to keep Iranian activists in memory and in the news because it is necessary for the larger democratic community to support Iranian activists and continue to do so. Secondly, as you know, a large number of EU sanctions have been imposed against the official authorities of the Islamic Republic, and several members of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic and their judges are under review for the sanctions list, and the EU intends to sanction them for killing democracy activists in Iran. One of these judges was the one who issued the order for the execution of Mohammad Mahdi Karami. Therefore, this may also be another reason why they are silent because if they respond and name any official who knows where these two men are, they may be added to this sanctions list. But we will continue our activities." Also see: The father of one of the condemned protesters: "The appointed lawyer does not answer our calls." This parliament member, who is a party mate of the German Foreign Minister, regarding the war between Israel and Hamas and considering the foreign policy of the German government, said: "Undoubtedly, this terrorist and brutal attack by Hamas on Israel has consequences and will affect Germany's foreign policy. As you mentioned, the Islamic Republic is one of the main supporters of terrorism in the region and Hamas and Hezbollah and other groups. On the other hand, Annalena Baerbock, our foreign minister, has supported the democratic movement of the Iranian people both publicly and privately. Furthermore, Germany's foreign policy aligns with the EU's foreign policy, and the first step is to talk with colleagues and other officials of the European Foreign Ministry to have a unified foreign policy for Europe because it is important that this policy is strong. This is Annalena Baerbock's first task, and its goal is to have a unified voice against the Islamic Republic and a complete sanction of its officials and support for human rights in Iran, and I think the terrorist attacks against Israel emphasize this goal further." Mohammad Mahdi Karami had several political guardians, and all tried to stop the execution of his sentence. However, in January of last year, Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad Mahdi Karami were both executed.