Abdorrahman Boroumand Center

for Human Rights in Iran

https://www.iranrights.org
Omid, a memorial in defense of human rights in Iran
One Person’s Story

Ali Amirshekari

About

Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: August 29, 1979
Location of Killing: Kerman, Kerman Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Shooting
Charges: Plotting to overthrow the Islamic Republic; Sympathizing with anti-regime guerilla groups

About this Case

The execution of Mr. Ali Amirshekari was announced in the Kayhan newspaper on August, 25, 1979. Additional information has been gathered from the Kayhan newspaper (August 29, 1979), the Enqelab-e Eslami newspaper (September 27, 1979), the Akhbar Rooz website (August 21, 2010), and an electronic form sent to Omid by an individual familiar with this case. His name is also cited in the list “Yadnameh”, published by the Fadaiyan Khalq Organization, Majority Branch (April 2002: Koln).

According to Enqelab-e Eslami, “the defendant’s brother had been arrested for his counter-revolutionary activities: the public surrendered him to the Islamic Revolutionary Tribunal, and he was tried as an un-identified defendant. He announced that he was against Islam and a Communist. He was not condemned for ideological reasons and was pardoned. However, he was assassinated outside the city by unknown individuals.” The same report stated that Mr. Amirshekari’s execution gave rise to “rumors.” No further information is available.

The Fadaiyan Khalq Organization, a Marxist Leninist group, inspired by the Cuban Revolution and the urban guerilla movements of Latin America, was founded in 1971 by two communist groups opposed to the Pahlavi regime. After the 1979 Revolution, the organization, which renounced armed struggle, split over their support of the Islamic Republic and of the Soviet Union. The Fadaiyan Khalq Majority supported and considered the Islamic Republic as a revolutionary and anti-imperialist regime. After the spring of 1983, however, the Islamic Republic targeted its members solely because of their political beliefs.

Arrest and detention

According to Akhbar Rooz, Mr. Amirshekari was arrested immediately after his older brother’s assassination. No further information is available regarding his arrest and detention.

Trial

He was tried by the Islamic Revolutionary Tribunal of Kerman.

Charges

The Kayhan newspaper (August 25) announced the charges brought against Mr. Amirshekari as “encoded communication with counter-revolutionary groups in Kordestan and Khuzestan, open opposition and plotting against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The validity of the criminal charges brought against this defendant cannot be ascertained in the absence of the basic guarantees of a fair trial.

Evidence of guilt

The initial report of this execution did not include any reference to evidence against the defendant. Enqelab-e Eslami (September 27; more than a month after Mr. Amirshekari’s execution) stated that Mr. Amirshekari’s house had been identified by a taxi driver who had drove Mr. Amirshekari before, but the date of this discovery was not mentioned. Kayhan (August 29; 6 days after the execution) stated that: “in a search of his house, many leaflets of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, the Fadaiyan Khalq Organization, communists publications and photo-albums were discovered.” Enqelab-e Eslami reported that in addition to such leaflets, “explosive, a copying machine, encoded [phone] numbers in Kordestan, Khuzestan, and Baluchestan were found [in his house] and he refused to decipher the codes. This proves that he had contact with counter-revolutionaries that plotted against the Islamic regime in Kordestan; and it was clear that [Mr. Amirshekari] was inspired by such groups.” Whether the evidence was discovered before or after the execution is not known.

Defense

Akhbar Rooz states that in his trial, he was asked “to give a televised interview during which he should condemn his brother as an affiliate of the Fadaiyan Khalq Organization, or else he would be executed. In response Ali defended his brother’s revolutionary goals and the public’s democratic demands.”

Judgment

The Islamic Revolutionary Tribunal of Kerman called Mr. Ali Amirshekari a “corruptor on earth, and at war with God and his prophet” and condemned him to death. Mr. Amirshekari was shot by a firing squad on August 23, 1979 in Kerman.

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