War Criminal; 'Servant of Imam Khamenei'

The revelation of a video of Nader Qazipour, a representative from Urmia in the parliament, has sparked widespread reactions. Many critics have condemned his 'misogynistic, racist, and insulting' remarks and have called for the rejection of his credentials by the representatives of the tenth parliament. All of this is important and should be critiqued and followed up. However, Qazipour has made a more significant claim in his statements that has international implications for Iran, especially in the current circumstances. During Iraq's military aggression against Iran, which led to an eight-year war, both sides committed violations. The United Nations Security Council identified Iraq as the aggressor in a resolution. International bodies have acknowledged that Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons against both Iranians and Iraqis during the war. Qazipour claims to have commanded a group of 12 and killed 600 to 700 Iraqi soldiers who had surrendered on the Basra-Al-Amarah road because there was no possibility of transferring them, 'for the sake of Imam and the martyrs.' For a long time, Saudi Arabia has been trying to rally all Arab and Muslim countries against Iran in a regional power struggle. They have turned the 'Arab Spring,' which was a revolution against dictatorial and corrupt regimes, into a Shiite/Sunni and Arab/Persian war. Now, the Saudi news agency Al-Arabiya has published the video of Qazipour's remarks with Arabic translation, headlined 'Iranian MP boasts of killing hundreds of Iraqi prisoners,' attempting to fuel the anti-Iran sentiment in the Arab world, especially in Iraq. Of course, the likelihood of Qazipour lying about this is very high, and some fighters present at the scene have not only denied his claims but also refuted his presence at that front (refer to 'A response from a defender of the sacred defense to Qazipour: I am one of those twelve; where were you?'). Nevertheless, Qazipour, in an interview on March 7, 2016, reaffirmed his killing of Iraqi prisoners, stating: 'I cannot deny that I did not do that, but it is not correct to say they were prisoners because we were in operation, and after the operation, many of them were lying on the ground.' Several points regarding Qazipour's claims are noteworthy: First - War crime: According to international conventions that Iran has also signed, killing prisoners of war is considered a war crime. Qazipour should be tried and punished under the law for this major and inhumane crime. Second - Servant of Imam Khamenei: Qazipour defended his remarks on March 3, 2016, stating: 'We are religious, and we are not shaken by three or four Telegram messages; some want to destroy me because I am a soldier and servant of the Velayat. But they should know that the soldier of Imam Khamenei is not a reed that shakes in the wind.' Qazipour presents himself as a servant and soldier of Imam Khamenei. In this case, the responsibility for the claims and actions of this extremist conservative representative falls on Ayatollah Khamenei. If we speak more cautiously, Qazipour shifts the responsibility for his actions onto Ayatollah Khamenei (in the article 'Ayatollah Khamenei and the occupation of embassies: public opposition and non-public support,' I have shown that Ayatollah Khamenei has always supported forces like Qazipour under the title of Hezbollah, Basij, and revolutionary forces and has emphasized that they should dominate everywhere). If Ayatollah Khamenei does not accept such behavior, he must order appropriate action to be taken. Does Ayatollah Khamenei accept responsibility for the war crime and other actions? Media outlets affiliated with the IRGC have fully supported Qazipour. What does this support mean? Third - Punishment of Qazipour: Many individuals and groups have called for the rejection of Qazipour's credentials by the tenth parliament due to his racist and misogynistic remarks. This is a legitimate demand. However, the more important issue is addressing his claim regarding the war crime. If this claim is true, he should be tried and imprisoned for the crime of war. Fourth - Admission of sodomy: Qazipour has admitted to committing sodomy in the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Qazipour admits to sexual assault using force. According to Islamic Penal Code, the punishment for sodomy is execution. Fifth - Parliament's assault on women: Qazipour states: 'The parliament is not a place for women; it is for men. Should we send them to face disaster so that your honor is lost?!' Does this mean that women are assaulted in the Islamic Consultative Assembly? If so, female representatives as victims are not responsible; male representatives as assaulters should be tried and punished. What kind of value-driven, principled, and revolutionary parliament is this that brings disaster upon female representatives that causes public disgrace? Sixth - Admission about oneself is valid: Following the public protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, detainees were forced to confess against themselves and others in show trials after torture, and these confessions were also broadcast on the Islamic Republic's television. Many prominent legal scholars and clerics have considered confessions made in prison - especially under torture - to be legally and religiously invalid. Ayatollah Khamenei responded to these issues in his Eid al-Fitr sermon on September 20, 2009. He said: 'The fact that in the courts - which were also broadcast on television - something was said about someone else by a defendant, I want to say that this is not legally valid. Yes, whatever the defendant says about himself in court is valid. To say that if they confessed in court about themselves, it is not valid, is a nonsensical and worthless statement; no, every confession, every admission, is valid in a court in front of the camera, in front of millions of viewers that the defendant makes against himself; this confession is heard, accepted, and effective... Judicial authorities must condemn and punish the criminal; with the same method that is proven and in our Islamic and customary laws, and they should not relent in this regard; but the punishment of the criminal that has been proven through legal means is necessary.' Qazipour's confessions against himself were made in a free environment, not in prison. According to Ayatollah Khamenei's fatwa, these statements are valid, and anyone who denies their validity is 'speaking nonsense.' These confessions are 'heard,' and the judiciary must try and punish him for the crimes and sodomy. Seventh - Qazipour is a liar: Let's assume that Qazipour's claims are entirely false. Do conservatives, the Guardian Council, and the parliament accept that such a liar is a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly? Does Qazipour claim to have killed 600-700 Iraqi prisoners, assaulted Sheikh Qodrat Ali Khani, and that if women enter the parliament, they will face a disaster that causes public disgrace? Do these lies and major accusations contradict being conservative, revolutionary, and value-driven? Is such a person qualified to represent the people in parliament? Eighth - The cost of this claim for the country: What reaction will the claim of killing 700 Iraqi war prisoners provoke in the Arab world? Will it not hurt their feelings? Does it not create a distance between Iran and Iraq in these circumstances and put the Iraqi government in a difficult defensive position? These statements are detrimental to Iran's 'national interests' and 'national security' and provide the best fodder for groups like ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra. If Nader Qazipour is not severely punished, the heavy responsibility for all this damage lies with Ayatollah Khamenei, who Qazipour presents himself as a servant and soldier of. However, instead of Qazipour, only Hamid Ataei - the journalist who revealed the controversial video - has been punished with beatings.