Ahmad Montazeri

Ahmad Montazeri was sentenced to prison after the release of an audio file about the 1988 executions. The file is a discussion between his father, Ayatollah Montazeri, the vice supreme leader at the time and the group known as the death board. Ayatollah Montazeri was trying to prevent more executions, but the board insists on their necessity

• <coverage-outsourcing id='13320'> In the Summer of 88, thousands of political prisoners were executed in Iranian prisons. The executions which were continuous throughout the 1980s reached their peak during these months. Evin was among the prisons where these massacres took place on a large scale </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13322'> Jaras reported that he was summoned to the Branch 4 of the special clerical court </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13324'> The release of the audio file created a wave of debates and discussions in public and in the media outside the country, but it also led to a radical reaction from the supporters of the regime. Many media outlets close to the regime strongly condemned the release of this file. Some regime officials including Ali Motahari, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Ahmad Alamolhoda, Sadegh Larijani, and Mohammad Mohammadi Rayshahri directly reacted to the release of the audio file. Hassan Khomeini said on the issue: > Reiterating what is obviously false and baseless is not beneficial." But Mostafa PourMohammadi, one of the members of the death board said that he has acted according to "law and Sharia" and has been "in peace" all these years and has not suffered "even one sleepless night </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13323'> Mr. Montazeri's website reported that the audio file has been removed due to a demand by the security forces </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13321'> An audio file of a meeting between Ayatollah Montazeri and the Tehran Death (Execution) Board on August 15th 1988 was eleased. In this recording, Mr.Montazeri asks the members of the Death Board to end the mass executions. Hossein Ali Nayeri, Morteza Eshraghi, Mostafa PourMohammad, and Ebrahim Raeesi were the individuals directly involved in Tehran's massacres. The Death Board issued more killing orders of political prisoners in Evin and Rajayi Shahr Prison than any other. In the audio file, one of the members, probably Hossei Ali Nayeri, tells Mr.Montazeri: > So far, we have executed 750 prisoners in Tehran. We have also separated 200 individuals as leaders and moved them to solitary cells, and if they return to prison they will cause problems. After that we will do as you please. Despite these sessions and the opposition of Mr.Montazeri's and small groups of judges, the executions did not end in August, and in September, probably by issuing another fatwa, they started the executions of the leftist prisoners </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13326'> In the days after the release of the audio file, Ahmad Montazeri was summoned the special clerical court for interrogation on eight occasions, and he was accused of "acts against national security, propaganda against the regime, and publishing classified documents" </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='19085'> Zamane reported that Mohammad Jafar Montazeri told the Attorney General that Ahmad Montazeri has been summoned to court where he gave an official guarantee. He harshly criticized the publication of an audio file of a discussion between Ayatollah Montazeri and the members of the death commission and said, “by publishing this audio file through foreign radios they are whitewashing the crimes of the ‘hypocrites’” </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13325'> The official website of the supreme leader of Iran wrote that in a meeting with Hassan Rouhani and the cabinet members, Ayatollah Khamenei "pointed out some of the efforts made to sanctify the dishonorable Monafeghin who were responsible for these crimes, and added: Unfortunately, some people are trying to create an atmosphere of victimization around these murderers who killed thousands of innocents, from ordinary people to authorities and prominent figures. And they are trying to muddy the departed Imam's shining legacy. But these evil and nefarious hands will not succeed and they will fail as they have before" </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13420'> According to the website of the Assembly of Experts of Iran, in a statement, the assembly condemned the release of the audio file of Ayatollah Montazeri's arguments about the 1980s executions and called the decision of the Islamic Republic's founder {to start the mass executions} a "timely and visionary decision" </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13328'> According to Harana, in his sixth interrogation session, his bail was set at 70 million tomans </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13327'> He read his defense statement in the special clerical court. The statement is documented in the Supporting Evidence section of this page </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13330'> He was sentenced by the special clerical court to 21 years in prison and defrocking for the charges of "acts against national security, publishing classified documents, and propaganda against the regime". Based on the verdict manuscript, to "honor the blood of his martyred brother" and due to "his age and special condition and no prior conviction, and by calculating the average of minimum and maximum enforceable sentence for such crimes" only six years of this 21 year sentence will be enforced </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13333'> The Qom city special clerical court announced the enforcement of his sentence in a statement. The statement was similar to the speech made by the supreme leader to the cabinet members: > As a result of Mr. Montazeri's actions to undermine the foundations of the holy regime of Islamic Republic, and his insults, false accusations, and repeated lies about the great architect of the revolution, his departed holiness Imam Khomeini and his beloved legacy and also to excuse and support the blind-hearted terrorists of Monafeghin (Mojahedin Khalgh) and in conformance with the global Imperialism, this individual has been tried in preliminary court and due to his objection to the issued verdict, an appeal court was held in which he attended and sentenced him to six years in prison. His sentence was enforced on February 22nd of 2017. The statement is documented in the Supporting Evidence section of this page </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13329'> He was arrested after appearing in special clerical court. The website of Mr. Montazeri published a statement calling the special clerical court "above the law" and added that the special clerical court "has become a weapon for the authorities to do as they please" and "it is not qualified to judge and rule in cases that accuse and involve its own members". The statement is documented in the Supporting Evidence section of this page </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13332'> He went on furlough one day after his sentence started </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13419'> According to Zeitun, in a letter addressed to the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Shobeiri stated that he considers the enforcement of the verdict an unwise action, and in response that was sent through a contact, Ayatollah Khamenei has said that if you do not consider it unwise, I also agree with you </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13380'> His wife, Zahra Rabbani Amleshi told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that Ahmad Montazeri was arrested before the appeal court ruling. She says on the day of the arrest, Mr. Montazeri was transferred in blindfolds from the special court to Intelligence lockup and was detained in a solitary cell in Qom Intelligence jail. Iran's supreme leader and -according to the interrogator- Intelligence ministry were against his arrest, and apparently his arrest was due to the fact that Ebrahim Raeesi (one of the members of the group known as the death board) was the prosecutor of the special clerical court. She once again emphasized that Ayatollah Shobeiri has been trying to get Ahmad Montazeri released </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13331'> According to the Telegram channel of the "House of Ayatollah Montazeri", Ahmad Montazeri returned to courthouse at the end of his furlough, but he was told that his sentence has been suspended </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13383'> The house of Ayatollah Montazeri published a statement denying the announcement made by the Qom special clerical court and emphasized that "in the so-called commitment, there is an article that is not compatible with any legal or Sharia principles! That they have made him responsible for the actions of others, when in fact, all the discussions were about the audio file of Ayatollah Montazeri and his objections to the 1988 executions, and also, everyone is responsible for their own actions and regarding the actions of others they can only offer advice. Therefore the provided article has no legal or Sharia function. It is also mentioned that no actions should be taken against the regime, which is an obvious and certain principle and needless to mention". The statement is documented in the Supporting Evidence section of this page </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13382'> Qom city special clerical court announced that Ahmad Montazeri "has visited and pleaded with a great Ayatollah and has asked him to mediate and bring the issue to the supreme leader of the revolution, constant be his shadow on earth", and "finally, the supreme leader complied with the Ayatollah's request out of respect, and suspended the enforcement of the sentence on the condition that he would pledge to the Ayatollah not to act against national security in the future", and that Ahmad Montazeri has "accepted the responsibility for all the future actions of the house of Ayatollah Montazeri." The statement is documented in the supporting Evidence section of this page </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13421'> According to Zeitun, based on the information that one of the members of the house of Ayatollah Shobeiri Zanjani has acquired, when Ayatollah Shobeiri became aware of Ahmad Montazeri's arrest, he sent a message to Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader, that "no one from the house of supreme leader is allowed to knock on our door until Ahmad Montazeri is released" </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13381'> His son, Hamed Montazeri told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that the Intelligence ministry has asked Mr. Montazeri to deliver the audio files related to Ayatollah Montazeri. but he has responded, "just as I told Mr.Shobeiri Zanjani, we will not publish the other until it's necessary, and the files are safe with my family and we will not give them up to anyone." He also denied the announcement made by the Qom special clerical court and emphasized that his father has not made any commitments and Mr. Montazeri's family has not committed any acts against the regime. He also stressed that Mr. Shobeiri's intervention was not due to the family's request, and he has decided to do so on his own will </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13454'> Twenty Iranian and international human rights organizations demanded a stop to the "suppression and persecution" of people who seek justice for the "terrible human rights violation" in the 1980s. The signatories demanded the overturn and release of Maryam Akbari Monfared, Raheleh Rahemipour, Ahmad Montazeri, and Mansoureh Behkish </coverage-outsourcing>