Motahari Criticizes the Case Filed Against Parastoo Farahvar

As Parastoo Farahvar appeared in court following a complaint by the Ministry of Intelligence, Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, criticized the case against her and stated that officials of the Islamic Republic should offer her "condolences" and "apologies." According to ISNA news agency, on Saturday, December 4, Motahari noted in a statement that the failure of Islamic Republic officials to apologize for such actions is "a disease and deviation from Islam that must be cured." He thanked security agencies for holding a memorial for the "brutal murder" of two "innocent victims," Dariush and Parvaneh Farahvar, and added, "We are also glad that today that mindset among our intelligence agents and officials does not exist anymore, where they believed they could do anything to preserve the regime." Nineteen years after the murder of Dariush and Parvaneh Farahvar in their home on Hedayat Street, a memorial service for these two victims of the "chain murders" was held last Wednesday, observing two hours of silence. In previous years, security agents had blocked access routes hours before the ceremony to prevent people from attending. Motahari also referred to the statements of the defendants in the "chain murders" who claimed the purpose of these murders was to "intimidate intellectuals," adding, "Look at what deviation from Islam existed within our Ministry of Intelligence, and fortunately, it has largely been eradicated today." He continued, "Of course, the heirs of the victims forgave the murderers because they considered them merely tools, but it is unclear why the public prosecutor, who makes accusations against high-ranking officials with slight insinuations, has not brought them to justice in this case." Dariush Farahvar, the leader of the Iran Nation Party, and his wife, Parvaneh Eskandari, known as Farahvar, were murdered on December 1, 1998, in their home in Tehran by knife attacks. On December 12 of the same year, Mohammad Mokhtari, a writer, poet, and member of the board of directors of the Iranian Writers' Association, disappeared, and on December 18, Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh, a translator and one of the most active members of the Iranian Writers' Association, also disappeared, with their bodies found later. The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence declared "rogue elements" within the ministry responsible for these four murders, which became known as the political chain murders. Saeed Emami (Islamic), a former deputy of the Ministry of Intelligence, was arrested in connection with this case, which was later announced that he had committed suicide in prison. Several officials of the Ministry of Intelligence were also arrested alongside Saeed Emami (Islamic). The defendants in these murders ultimately were not executed after what was declared as "the forgiveness of the victims' families" and were sentenced to ten years in prison. According to reports, these defendants were released after serving less than half of their sentences. Motahari's request for "apology and compensation" from the victims' families Motahari also described the formation of a legal case against Parastoo Farahvar as "surprising" and added that "instead of condoling her for the spiritual and material suffering we have caused her." He stated, "In any government system, such crimes may be committed by agents who wear hats instead of helmets, but first, such an event is more disgraceful from an Islamic regime that aspires to justice and ethics, and secondly, how we deal with such events is important, whether we apologize and compensate or present it as a normal matter and a right of the government." The Deputy Speaker of Parliament also referred to the former Minister of Interior's refusal to apologize regarding the case of Sattar Beheshti, stating that "it is a disease and deviation from Islam that must be cured." Report on Parastoo Farahvar regarding the accusations made by the Ministry of Intelligence Concurrently with Motahari's statement, Parastoo Farahvar announced on Saturday that she is going to court following a complaint by the Ministry of Intelligence. According to a note she published before heading to court, her charges are "propaganda against the regime" and "insulting the sacred." In this note, referring to the murder of her parents by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence, she wrote that the defendants had repeatedly stated in their confessions that "physical elimination" of political opponents was part of their "organizational duties" and that they had carried out such "missions" in the past, but there was "no indication of addressing these horrifying confessions in the case." Farahvar emphasized, "This lack of follow-up is just one example of the multitude of judicial violations that have occurred during the handling of this case... so that some of the criminals are exempt from prosecution, and in the court, those who are tried do not have the political dimensions of the crime addressed." She stated that the purpose of the accusations against her is to "silence the voice of protest and seeking justice." According to Farahvar, in this case regarding the charge of "propaganda against the regime," it is written that she "accuses the security apparatus of the killing of her parents by providing incorrect political analysis and holds the judiciary responsible for the improper handling of her parents' murder case." According to this report, her statements and writings about the theft of her parents' house, interviews with media, meetings with political activists, and attendance at the tomb of Mohammad Mossadegh alongside his grandson and several political figures are among other reasons cited in the case for the charges against her. According to Farahvar, the charge of "insulting the sacred" was also raised due to one of her artworks, and it is stated in the case that a "comfortable sofa" that "was made available to anti-revolutionary elements abroad in an exhibition" is the basis for this charge. She added, "When an artwork has been sold and has a new owner, how it is used privately is no longer in the artist's control or responsibility." Farahvar emphasized that the investigating judge, despite not asking any follow-up questions about her and her lawyer's explanations regarding this part of the case, "confirmed this baseless accusation and sent it for trial." She has not provided further explanations regarding this part of the case.