Son of Ahmad Montazeri: My Father Refused the Intelligence Ministry's Request to Hand Over Audio Files

The son of Ahmad Montazeri announced that the Ministry of Intelligence requested his father to hand over unpublished audio files of Ayatollah Montazeri to the ministry and not to publish them, but he refused this request. Hamed Montazeri stated on Tuesday, March 7, in an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, that the Ministry of Intelligence insisted that his father deliver the unpublished audio files of Ayatollah Montazeri to the ministry and not publish them. According to this report, Ahmad Montazeri informed the agents of the Ministry of Intelligence that he had previously told Ayatollah Shabiri Zanjani, one of the religious authorities, that the remaining audio files 'will not be published until necessary, and the files are preserved with the family and will not be handed over to anyone.' The report does not mention the timing of the meeting between the agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and Ahmad Montazeri, but according to other reports, this meeting could be related to recent days and the suspension of Mr. Montazeri's sentence. Ahmad Montazeri was arrested on Wednesday, February 23, without a 'formal summons' and following a call to the Special Clerical Court in Qom, and was released the next day under the title of 'eight-day leave.' On Saturday morning, March 5, after the leave period ended, he went to the Special Clerical Court in Qom as previously arranged, where he was told that his prison sentence had been suspended. Subsequently, the Special Clerical Court in Qom announced that Ahmad Montazeri, after being informed of a six-year prison sentence, 'requested mediation' from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic by referring to one of the senior religious authorities and giving a commitment, and Ayatollah Khamenei agreed with the condition of his commitment to this religious authority 'not to act against national security.' Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for the judiciary, also stated on Sunday that 'one of the religious authorities in Qom has mediated' and Ahmad Montazeri 'has also given a commitment.' The office of Ayatollah Montazeri denied the statement from the Special Clerical Court. Meanwhile, Hamed Montazeri also stated that his father 'has not given any commitment' and 'has said that we have never acted against the regime and the publication of the previous file was not against the regime.' He emphasized that Ahmad Montazeri did not request anything from Ayatollah Shabiri Zanjani, and this religious authority 'took the initiative to follow up.' Zahra Rabani Amelishi, the wife of Mr. Montazeri, had previously reported that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, in response to a request from Mousavi Shabiri Zanjani, one of the religious authorities, had stated that he was 'opposed' to the execution of Ahmad Montazeri's sentence, but Ebrahim Raisi, as the prosecutor of the Special Clerical Court, insisted on enforcing the sentence. Ebrahim Raisi, who was a member of the decision-making body regarding the execution of political prisoners in 1988, known as the 'Death Committee,' is now the prosecutor of the Special Clerical Court. Ahmad Montazeri was sentenced to a total of 21 years in prison for 'acting against national security by publishing confidential audio files' and 'propaganda against the regime' following the publication of an audio file of Ayatollah Montazeri regarding the executions of 1988 last December. According to the ruling of the Special Clerical Court, due to the 'value and sanctity of the blood of the martyr brother' of Ahmad Montazeri, namely Mohammad Montazeri, and considering his 'age and special circumstances and lack of a criminal record, with the calculation of the average minimum and maximum punishments in execution,' only six years of this sentence will be enforced.