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

Manuchehr Nejati

About

Age: 17
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Single

Case

Date of Killing: 1981
Location of Killing: Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Extrajudicial Execution
Charges: Unspecified offense
Age at time of alleged offense: 17

About this Case

Abdorrahman Boroumand Center was informed of the news of the execution of Mr. Manucher Nejati, son of Robabeh and Ali, through different sources such as an interview with one of his acquaintances (April 8, 2018), the special electronic form that was filled and sent to the Center (March 16, 2017), as well as various documents pertaining to the Nejati family’s lawsuits against individuals who had a role in abducting their son, including a letter from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of Kermanshah (September 2, 1981) and evidence of Mr. Nejati’s death. The information on the group and the individuals who abducted Mr. Nejati was obtained from the websites of Bidaran and Fars News Agency (September 23, 2010) and Kayhan daily (October 3, 2010).

Mr. Nejati, the youngest son of his family, was born in Kermanshah in 1963. He was a bachelor and a second-year high school student in mathematics and physics. His family members and friends describe him as kind, smart, studious, calm, bright, and virtuous. His had a good relationship with his family and others, and he was not the kind of person to want to make trouble for anyone. Mr. Nejati was fond of music and mathematics (ABC interview). According to the available information, Mr. Nejati was active in the student section of Paykar Organization (DD). His activities included writing graffiti, distributing announcements, selling the organization’s periodicals, and holding political sessions. Mr. Nejati had once been arrested before his 1981 arrest, and was released upon giving a written pledge that he would not continue his political activities. He was 17 when he was arrested (ABC interview).

International laws have strictly prohibited capital punishment for those who were under the age of 18 at the time of committing a crime. As a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Iran has the obligation not to impose capital punishment for an offence committed before the age of eighteen. 

Mr. Nejati’s Death

According to the available information, Mr. Nejati was abducted in Kermanshah on the morning of July 11, 1981 by four well-known members of the Shayth Group and was taken out of the city. They took Mr. Nejati to the Tang-e Kenesht area in the Taagh-e Bostan Mountains and beat him there. There was no news of him after the abduction, and he never returned. According to the available information, on the day of the incident Mr. Nejati left his home in the Sixth Bahman neighborhood of Kermanshah County at 6 AM along with a friend to write graffiti. He was identified by four members of the Shayth Group near Si-Metri Square, and was stopped and investigated. The Shayth Group members wanted to arrest Mr. Nejati and his friend after the investigation, but they escaped. However, they were trapped in a dead-end alley. The four Shayth Group members put them on two motorbikes and took them out of town. Along the way, the bike carrying Mr. Nejati’s friend broke down and had to stop, while the bike carrying Mr. Nejati continued on its way towards the Taagh-e Bostan area outside the city. When Mr. Nejati’s friend reached the locale later, he saw that Mr. Nejati was bloody and close to death while the Shayth Group members were beating him. Mr. Nejati’s friend himself was then also beaten. The Shayth Group members told Mr. Nejati’s friend that they intended to kill Mr. Nejati but he was free to go. However, they threatened him that if he told anyone about what had happened, they would find and kill him as well. He refused to leave and said that he would remain there until they freed Manuchehr as well. The Shayth Group members shot two bullets towards him, and he escaped fearful of being hit. On the same day, in a state of shock, he went to Mr. Nejati’s home and informed his family of what had happened to their son (from the text of the complaint of Mr. Nejati’s mother against one of the abductors, dated July 11, 1981). 

The Reactions of the Authorities

According to the statements of the official authorities, the accused had no connection with the Revolutionary Guards; neither had he been a member of the Komiteh Corps of the Revolutionary Guards. He had collaborated with the Komiteh, however. He was also related to the leadership of the Kermanshah Ansar-e Hezbollah organization (letter by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps). 

The Reactions of the Family

The family of Mr. Nejati contacted the authorities after the disappearance of their son, but none were responsive to them. Mr. Nejati’s mother filed a complaint against one of the individuals who had arrested his son at Branch 4 of the provincial Ministry of Justice office of Kermanshah. The court rejected the complaint for arrest and investigation of the individual. The individual used to be Mr. Nejati’s classmate and had had disputes with him in school. Although this individual was eventually summoned to court twice, he did not receive a verdict from the authorities. He would later become one of the top commanders of the Revolutionary Guards. He was killed along with his daughter in a car accident in 2010 (ABC interview). It was mentioned in his obituary that “the deceased was a very able person, enthusiastic about guiding the youth of his city and region along the lines of the principles of the Islamic Revolution” (Kayhan daily). 

Effects on the Family

According to the available information, Mr. Manuchehr Nejati’s disappearance dealt a tragic blow to his family. According to one of his acquaintances, “The case of Mr. Nejati is indeed terrible. We have neither his corpse nor know of his resting place for the comfort of our hearts. It’s been over thirty years now since that tragedy took place.”

Correct/ Complete This Entry