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

Behruz Gholami

About

Nationality: Iran
Religion: Non-Believer
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: November 9, 1981
Location of Killing: Tabriz, Azarbaijan-e Sharqi Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Shooting
Charges: Armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic; Living in safe houses; Printing/distributing leaflets; Apostasy

About this Case

News of the execution of Mr. Behruz Gholami, son of Hossein, along with 22 others, was published in theKayhan newspaper on November 12, 1981. The Public Relations Department of the Central Public Prosecutor’s Office announced these executions, the defendants' names and their charges, and released it to the media.

News of the execution of Mr. Behruz Gholami and his will were also published in the book "Az Armani Ke Mijushad", a publication of ex-sympathizers of the Peykar Organization in August of 1985.

Mr. Behruz Gholami is one of the 430 individuals whose names appear on the list of “Martyrs of the Peykar Organization for the Liberation of the Working Class” published on the website of Andeesheh va Peykar. This list contains the names of those members of the organization who died after the revolution of 1979. More than 400 of the individuals on this list have been executed.

Mr. Behruz Gholami is one of the 12,028 individuals listed in an addendum to the Mojahed magazine (No 261), published by the Mojahedin Khalq Organization on September 6, 1985. The list includes individuals, affiliated with various opposition groups, who were executed or killed during clashes with the Islamic Republic security forces from June 1981 to the publication date of the magazine.

The Peykar Organization for the Liberation of the Working Class was founded by a number of dissident members of the Mojahedin Khalq Organization who had converted to Marxism-Leninism. Peykar was also joined by a number of political organizations, known as Khat-e Se (Third line). The founding tenets of Peykar included the rejection of guerrilla struggle and a strong stand against the pro-Soviet policies of the Iranian Tudeh Party. Peykar viewed the Soviet Union as a "Social imperialist" state, believed that China had deviated from the Marxist-Leninist principles, and radically opposed all factions of the Islamic regime of Iran. The brutal repression of dissidents by the Iranian government and splits within Peykar in 1981 and 1982 effectively dismantled the Organization and scattered its supporters. By the mid-1980s, Peykar was no longer in existence.

Arrest and detention

According to the will of Mr. Behruz Gholami, he was identified and arrested during an attack on the Peykar Organization in Tabriz. The circumstances of this defendant’s arrest and detention are not known.

Trial

No information is available on the defendant’s trial.

Charges

The charges against Mr. Behruz Gholami were announced as, "armed uprising against the Islamic Republic, distribution of announcements and publication for the Peykar Organization, apostate, and frequenting in the organization's houses." These charges were announced for nine sympathizers of Peykar collectively.

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 report of this execution does not contain information regarding the evidence provided against the defendant.

Defense

No information is available on Mr. Behruz Gholami's defense.

Judgment

َThe Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tabriz condemned Mr. Behruz Gholami to death. The ruling was carried out in Tabriz on November 9, 1981. No exact information is available about the details of the court verdict.

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