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

Mahmud Mirza'i Alavicheh

About

Age: 22
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Islam
Civil Status: Single

Case

Date of Killing: July 8, 1981
Location of Killing: Maqar-e Pasdaran Detention Center, Esfahan, Esfahan Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Shooting
Charges: Unspecified offense; Participating in armed demonstrations

About this Case

Information about Mr. Mahmud Mirza’i Alavicheh has been drawn from an electronic form sent to Omid by his brother. Mr. Mirza’i Alavicheh was born in Esfehan in 1959. As his older brother Ahmad (who was executed in 1988), he became interested in the Mojahedin Khalq Organization in 1979. Having graduated from high school, he started his compulsory military service in Esfehan’s garrison, and voluntarily enlisted to serve in the military during the Iran-Iraq war. His return from war front coincided with the confrontations of the Mojahedin Khalq Organization and the government of the Islamic Republic. He actively participated in such clashes despite military rules. When he was called to serve in Shahrekord (Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province), he refused to go.

Arrest and detention

Mr. Mirza’i Alavicheh was arrested one day after the demonstration of June 20, 1981, organized by Mojahedin Khalq Organization. According to his brother, “as many other sympathizers of this Organization, he was unaware of the significance and the consequences of the Demonstration of June 20. He thought of it as just another event in a series of struggles, such as the war, in the preceding months.” On June 21, Mr. Mirza’i Alavicheh went to a public bathhouse called “Namnabat” located on Ebn-e Sina street in Esfehan, with a wounded arm. Around noon, forces from the Basij para-military group entered the bathhouse and arrested him for “absence from military service and participation in clashes against the regime.”

Mr. Mirza’i Alavicheh was detained the base of the Revolutionary Guards, located in the former building of Savak political police headquarters. Despite the gathering of prisoners’ families at prison, they were not allowed any visits. About 4 hours before the execution, at 11 p.m. on July 7, his brother Ahmad heard Mahmud’s voice saying that he thought he was to be transferred to a prison on an island in the Persian Gulf.

The demonstration of June 20, 1981, took place in protest against the parliament’s impeachment of President Banisadr and the Islamic Republic’s systematic policy of excluding the Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) from the country’s political scene, the refusal of Ayatollah Khomeini to meet with MKO leaders and his insistence for them to disarm. The MKO had until then supported the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini and agreed to function within the framework of the new political system.

On June 20th, the Organization officially changed its policy and tried to overthrow the regime by organizing mass demonstrations, in which some of the demonstrators were armed, all over the country. These demonstrations, which were severely suppressed and resulted in the killing of dozens of demonstrators, were followed by a wave of mass arrests and executions by the Revolutionary Guards and para-military forces that targeted not only the MKO, but all other opposition groups. The massive repression, unprecedented in the history of the Islamic Republic, legitimized as official government policy the months-old state harassment and suppression of dissidents and resulted in the banning of all forms of independent political dissent.

Trial

There is no information regarding this trial.

Charges

Mr. Mirza’i Alavicheh was arrested for “absence from military service and participation in clashes against the regime.”

Evidence of guilt

No information is available concerning the evidence presented against the accused.

Defense

No information is available concerning Mr. Mirza’i Alavicheh’s defense.

Judgment

No specific information is available about the verdict leading to this execution. Mr. Mahmud Mirza’i Alavicheh was shot by a firing squad on July 8, 1981 at the base of the Revolutionary Guards Corps in Esfehan.

Correct/ Complete This Entry