Statement by 151 Political and Civil Activists in Protest Against the Prison Sentence of Montazeri

About a week after the prison sentence was issued to Ahmad Montazeri, the son of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, 151 intellectuals and political, civil, and human rights activists signed a joint statement protesting this ruling by the Special Court for Clergy and supporting Ahmad Montazeri. The text of this statement was published on Saturday, December 4, on the news and analytical website Zeytoon, which is associated with religious reformists, questioning the legality of this ruling and the legitimacy of the institution that issued it. On Saturday, December 1, Ahmad Montazeri was informed that he had been sentenced to 21 years in prison for releasing an audio file of Ayatollah Montazeri regarding the executions of 1988, but due to the consolidation of sentences, six years of this ruling would be enforced. The Special Court for Clergy also sentenced Ahmad Montazeri to be defrocked, with the execution of this ruling suspended for three years. The statement by the 151 signatories reads, 'We, the signatories of this statement, while strongly condemning the ruling issued against Mr. Ahmad Montazeri and announcing our support for him, will utilize all legal means at the national and international levels to defend him and annul this unjust ruling.' The statement further asserts, 'The Special Court for Clergy is fundamentally illegal, even according to the Constitution of the Iranian government; therefore, the rulings issued by it have no legal validity.' It adds, 'The arguments of this ruling from this illegal court, such as the existence of the court itself, lack legal legitimacy.' Among the signatories of this statement are Shahryar Ahi, Ali Afshari, Noushabah Amiri, Mehran Barati, Behrouz Bayat, Mehdi Jami, Hassan Shariati, Reza Alijani, Shirin Famili, Parastoo Forouhar, Mehrangiz Kar, Morteza Kazemian, Kazem Kordvani, Ali Kashtgar, Malihe Mohammadi, and Omid Montazeri. Previously, on December 1, Abdul Ali Bazargan, Mohsen Kadivar, Hassan Youssefi Eshkouri, Mohammad Barghai, Hassan Farshchian, and Sedigheh Vosoughi, as six religious reformists, issued a statement calling the ruling of the Special Court for Clergy regarding Ahmad Montazeri 'a mockery of justice and a contempt for law' and also contrary to human rights principles, the laws of the Islamic Republic, religious jurisprudence, and fairness and justice. Two days after the prison sentence was issued to him, Ahmad Montazeri, in an interview with Radio Farda, described the ruling as 'illogical' and 'irrelevant,' stating that the aim of issuing this ruling was to pressure him to hand over unpublished documents and audio files of Ayatollah Montazeri to security agencies. The subject of the released audio file of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri concerns the mass execution of political and ideological prisoners in the summer of 1988, most of whom had been tried before and were serving their prison sentences. The executed prisoners, whom Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri estimated to be between 2,800 and 3,800, were mostly members of groups such as the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, the Tudeh Party, Fadaiyan, and other leftist groups, many of whom were buried anonymously in Khavaran cemetery after their executions. 'Implicit defense of the greatest crime in contemporary Iranian history' According to the Zeytoon website, another part of the statement by the 151 intellectuals and political and civil activists states, 'In the issued ruling, the secrecy of the released tape is repeatedly emphasized, and based on this, Mr. Ahmad Montazeri is accused of revealing state secrets. This tape contains the same subjects that were previously mentioned in the memoirs of Ayatollah Montazeri. There is no untold secret in this tape, and during the lifetime of Mr. Montazeri, no legal governmental institution officially denied its contents. Declaring this tape as a classified document not only confirms the crime that occurred but also endorses the long-term and current efforts of the 'system' to keep this crime hidden.' The statement adds, 'The operators of the 'Special Court for Clergy' with this ruling, implicitly defending the greatest crime in contemporary Iranian history (the massacre of several thousand political prisoners), have defended something that should be a source of shame for any government. In what part of the world is revealing a crime considered 'propaganda against the system'? In what government is lying and concealing the truth a means of 'strengthening' that government? The main leaders of the government, instead of being accountable and trying to clarify the various aspects of this great crime and executing justice, have targeted those who seek to help with the truth and the collective memory of the Iranian people, to contribute to the de-violence in society and establish peace and tranquility in our country.' Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, previously commented on these executions in an interview with the Etemad newspaper, stating that 'the Imam [Ruhollah Khomeini] had a jurisprudential discussion regarding the harsh treatment of the Mojahedin prisoners in 1988.' Ali Motahari elaborated on his views regarding these mass executions, stating that 'there may have been excesses, but the main issue was the matter of moharebeh (waging war against God).' After the release of the audio file of Ayatollah Montazeri, Mr. Motahari has also urged the 'authorities' to 'explain to the people instead of making slogans about the executions of 1988.'