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

Hassan Rezvani

About

Nationality: Iran
Religion: Islam (Shi'a)
Civil Status: Married

Case

Date of Killing: July 31, 1980
Location of Killing: Zahedan, Sistan Va Baluchestan Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Shooting
Charges: Association with the Shah's idolatrous regime; Collaborating with the political police SAVAK; Corruption on earth; War on God, God's Prophet and the deputy of the Twelfth Imam

About this Case

News of the execution of Colonel Hassan Rezvani, son of Sadeq, was reported by a correspondent of the Jomhuri Eslami daily in Zahedan on August 5, 1980. Additional information is based on an electronic form sent to Omid by a person familiar with his case. According to this information, he was born in Varazan, Mazandaran. He was married with five children and was a graduate of a military college. When he was young, he became an intelligence officer and, after the secret police organization (SAVAK) was established, he began working there and served in Kerman Province. In 1966 he was transferred to Sistan Va Baluchestan Province, where he served as the head of SAVAK. He was in Zahedan until arrested.          

Arrest and Detention

According to the information sent to Omid, Colonel Rezvani was arrested by agents of the Tehran-Pars Komiteh at his residence in Tehran in 1980. Reportedly, he had connections with top-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic, who gave him verbal assurance of immunity. During a visitation with his family in Tehran, he referred to his broken arm and stated that he “fell from his bed.” He was last detained in the Revolutionary Prison in Zahedan, where he had worked as the head of SAVAK. Colonel Rezvani was denied the right to an attorney.    

Trial

According to the daily report of Jomhuri Eslami, the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Sistan Va Baluchestan, headed by the religious judge, went into session to address Colonel Rezvani’s case on July 31, 1980, at 9 a.m. According to the information sent to Omid, this session took place at the location of SAVAK headquarters and lasted for half a day.  

Charges

The charge against the defendant, as reported by the newspaper, was: “Willingly serving the disgusting Pahlavi regime through 23 years of work with the army and the SAVAK.” According to the information sent to Omid, authorities asked Colonel Rezvani “Why was no one hurt during your thirteen years service as the head of SAVAK? You caused a delay for the revolution!”   

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

According to the information sent, no evidence was provided against Colonel Rezvani, and none of the witnesses introduced by the Public Prosecutor’s Office knew him.  

Defense

No information is available about Colonel Rezvani’s defense. According to the information sent to Omid, people in Zahedan signed a petition in support of him, which stated that no one had any complaint against him. During an interview with reporters, the case interrogator stated that, in spite all the good things people told [the court] about Mr. Rezvani, he had been ordered to condemn him to death. This interrogator was changed, and the new one swiftly condemned Mr. Rezvani and sent him to be executed.    

Judgment

According to the daily report, the Revolutionary Tribunal of Sistan Va Baluchestan identified Colonel Hassan Rezvani as “Mofsed [corruptor on Earth]” and “Mohareb [waging war] against God, his prophet and his people” and sentenced him to death. The ruling was carried out, and he was executed on July 31, 1980, at 4:00 p.m. on the day of his trial. According to the information sent to Omid, he was executed by firing squad at Zahedan garrison. His brother, Colonel Naser Rezvani, who was a commander of fighter aircraft during the war with Iraq, was able to get permission to move the body of his brother to his birth place. The body of Colonel Hassan Rezvani was taken to Tehran by a plane and then to Varazan in Mazandaran by car and buried at the Hosseinieh of the village.        

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