Untold Aspects of the 1988 Executions

The newspaper Shargh, in its front page titled "Mortazavi's Letter; Repentance or Deal," reported that Abbas Salimi-Namin, a principlist political activist, revealed new dimensions of Saeed Mortazavi's apology letter regarding the crimes at Kahrizak; a subject that many political analysts may have acknowledged but for some reason did not voice. Salimi-Namin wrote in a note published on the Alef website: "The letter smells more of a deal than repentance." The newspaper noted that "the apology letter from former Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi still faces various reactions among political activists, but the commonality in these reactions points to the belated nature of this apology." Mohammad Reza Aref, head of the Hope faction in the 10th Parliament, also stated: "An apology from any individual does not prevent the court from continuing to address the case." Aref, speaking at the new academic year ceremony at the Kadeh School, said: "If a mistake occurred at Kahrizak, necessary punishments must be enforced, and this apology was very late; however, we welcome it and hope it serves as a model for other cases." The newspaper Etemad, in a report titled "Untold Aspects of the 1988 Executions," wrote: "Mohammad Ibrahim Nokonam, senior advisor to the Attorney General, who was also present in the judiciary during the late 1980s, has memories of how the regime dealt with the Mojahedin-e Khalq organization and defends the treatment of prisoners who were in the position of the 'hypocrites.'" In statements that implicitly respond to the release of an audio file of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri's remarks protesting the 1988 executions, Nokonam said: "After the failure of Operation Mersad, inspections of prisons showed that 'they had prepared themselves from earlier times for the day when the hypocrites thought they would rule Iran. Some of them were even proposed as pillars of the hypocritical government, and these documents were obtained.' The judiciary was left at a crossroads about what to do." The Etemad newspaper quoted Nokonam as saying that, upon the order of Ayatollah Khomeini, a committee consisting of several judges and an intelligence official was formed to "review and study" the prisoners' cases and "with knowledge of their previous status, asked them many questions. Questions included why they were imprisoned, how long they had been in prison, what their sentences were, where they were arrested, what their previous charges were, what their stance towards the hypocrites was, and discussions about their current thoughts regarding the organization and their positions on current events, and whether they regretted their past actions or not. Perhaps out of every 20 convicts, one or two remained steadfast in their positions. Some said they adhered to the repentance they had made." Nokonam described the actions of this committee as a "formal court" that issued and executed death sentences for prisoners who had sentences less than death and were "stubborn in their positions," adding: "Of course, it was not hidden that at that time the law stated that a group that declared armed war against the Islamic Republic of Iran would be considered 'mohareb' (enemy of God), and those who had not even participated in armed operations but declared support and sympathy for an organization that had declared armed war were subject to the law of moharebeh according to the prevailing law in the country." The Iran newspaper, close to the government, described Mohammad Javad Zarif's remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations in the U.S. as "Zarif's warnings to America" and quoted the foreign minister of the eleventh government as saying: "If we want to speak fairly, America has fulfilled its share of the agreement as far as signing documents by the President and Foreign Minister is concerned, but not much has been done regarding efforts to implement this agreement." According to this newspaper, the Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized that "no agreement in our region can be based on the exclusion of the other party," stating: "Before the JCPOA, many Iranians believed that this agreement could resolve differences with America, but now the majority of Iranians think otherwise." The Arman newspaper also dedicated its front page to Mohammad Javad Zarif and quoted him as saying: "Angels do not give money and weapons to ISIS and al-Nusra." This newspaper quoted the Iranian Foreign Minister as saying: "I say a lot of money has been deposited by Saudi Arabia into the facilities of this organization. I do not know if they are financing ISIS today, but I know that money and weapons are given to al-Nusra, and I know that al-Nusra is recruiting soldiers." Arman also wrote that "this year, coinciding with the start of the United Nations General Assembly, our enemies have installed billboards across New York City to intensify the anti-Iranian atmosphere, displaying my image with the phrase that the political figures and leaders of Iran mean by 'Death to America' is the same as 'Death to the American people,' while I have never spoken against the American people in such a manner." The Vatan-e Emruz newspaper, close to the Front of Steadfastness, dedicated its front page to the Iranian Foreign Minister and simultaneously reported under the title "No Zarif," that Mohammad Javad Zarif said at the Council on Foreign Relations in America: "Due to America's breach of promises, no major European bank cooperates with Iran." This newspaper also wrote: "If the Americans are not currently willing to fulfill their commitments under the JCPOA, and more regrettably, as stated by government officials, their obstructions are not even a violation of the JCPOA, this indicates the weakness of Iranian negotiators in lacking prudence in drafting the JCPOA text. In more precise terms, one cannot expect wisdom from those who have brought this upon themselves." Simultaneously, the Kayhan newspaper quoted Ali Saeedi, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as saying: "Military threats have been deterred by missiles, not by the smiles of diplomats." The Shahrvand newspaper has a report about the issuance of a "double death sentence" for the murderer of Setayesh Ghareishi, stating: "The murderer of Setayesh Ghareishi, with the issuance of a death sentence and retribution, has come several steps closer to the gallows. This teenage boy, who six months ago brutally killed a six-year-old girl after assaulting her, has been sentenced by the criminal judges in the final stage of his case to one retribution for murder, one death sentence for rape, and payment of blood money for the crime against the deceased." Shir Agha Ghareishi, Setayesh's father, told the Shahrvand newspaper: "I have no objection to this ruling, and I think it is a fair ruling. I have said from the beginning that I will abide by whatever the law says. I leave this bitter and horrific crime and the punishment of the murderer first to God and then to the law. Even if they had not issued a sentence of retribution and execution, I would still have no objection." The Javan newspaper, in an editorial titled "Ahmadinejad's Prohibition: A Theoretical Challenge for Reformists," wrote: "With Ahmadinejad's prohibition from participating in the elections, the theoretical, political, and intellectual claims of reformists have faced a serious challenge" as "Ahmadinejad's prohibition is both a valuable opportunity for him and a chance for reflection and realism for the amphibians of political and intellectual discourse." Abdullah Ganji, the editorial writer of the Javan newspaper, referring to the news about the prohibition of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from the elections by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, wrote: "Now the Islamism of the regime has come to the aid of the expediency and health of the Republic, and has grounded the claims of republicanism. This newspaper, close to the IRGC, criticized the reformists, asking: "Why do they not protest now? And why do they not confirm? About 20 representatives from the previous principlist parliament, including Hojjatoleslam Rasayi, were disqualified; why did the advocates of democracy and free elections not protest against that? Why do they not reprint the hundreds of articles and books written against the supervisory role? They have neither the courage to admit past mistakes nor the courage to reaffirm their past claims. But we are glad that they have realized the value and price of leadership and know that in the interests of the revolution and the regime, no one will be considered." "Banking's Housing Speculation" is a report in the Shahrvand newspaper about "the whispers of a housing market boom have brought banks to the negotiating table; economic entities that are waiting for profitable and expensive days in the market by buying up properties in various parts of the city and hoarding them." Some housing market activists told the Shahrvand newspaper: "Banks do not act directly to buy astronomical properties but do so through intermediaries in specialized notary offices."