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

Mir Ahmad Ma’sumi Kuchesfehani

About

Age: 54
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Islam
Civil Status: Married

Case

Date of Killing: March 13, 1979
Location of Killing: Qasr Prison, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Shooting
Charges: Torture; Unspecified anti-revolutionary offense

About this Case

Information regarding Mr. Mirahmad Ma’sumi Kuchesfehani’s execution was drawn from two electronic forms (E-forms) which were sent to Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation (ABF) and two reports by Kayhan daily on 12 March 1980 and 13 September 2007.

Mr. Kuchesfehani was born in 1924 in Rasht. He obtained his master’s degree in sociology from the University of Tehran (E-forms). The newspaper report quoted him saying that he had a law degree (LL.B) from the University of Tehran (Kayhan, 12 March 1980). He was a teacher at first, but in 1959 he was employed by the organization in charge of domestic security and intelligence service known as SAVAK under the Shah’s regime. He gained numerous honors and medals during his career (Kayhan, 13 September 2007). He was married with 4 children (E-forms)

Arrest and detention

Mr. Kuchesfehani was arrested around 23 February 1979 at his home in Tehran. There is no further detail about the circumstances regarding his arrest and detention. According to the information sent to ABF, his family could not visit him during his detention (E-forms).

Trial

The Revolutionary Tribunal of Tehran tried Mr. Kuchesfehani along with 10 others. This trial took place in the first hours of the morning of 11 March 1980 and continued until the dawn of 12 March (Kayhan, 12 March 1980).

Charges

The charges brought against the defendant in the indictment are not know, but his collaboration with SAVAK was the core of his charges (Kayhan, 12 March 1980).

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

No information is available concerning the evidence presented against the accused. Kayhan reported that the defendants who had been interrogated by Mr. Kuchesfehani attributed torturous and insulting behaviors to him (Kayhan, 12 March 1980). It is not clear in Kayhan’s report who these defendants were and if they were present at the court to give their testimonies.

Defense

No information is available concerning Mr. Kuchesfehani’s defense. According to the E-form, he was deprived from the assistance of an attorney. According to Kayhan, he denied torturing the detainees and said: “I have an LL.B from University of Tehran. In 1959 when I was searching for a job in the Judiciary as a judge, a person named Farhang Sa’adatmand encouraged me to work in SAVAK. I started working in the Judicial Section which was supervised by Dr. Farzin… If you want to know what happened, ask Ayatollah Taleqani [high ranking cleric and member of the revolutionary clerical elite led byAyatollah Khomeini] Considering all that happened, I do not have anything to say. I am confident that the judges of this court will consider the case fairly. So I end my defense here.” (Kayhan, 12 March 1980)

Judgment

The Revolutionary Tribunal of Tehran declared Mr. Kuchesfehani’s verdict along with 10 others at 5 a.m. and declared them guilty of “corruption on earth” and sentenced them to death. This verdict was carried out at 6:58 a.m. by the a firing squad in Qasr Prison (Kayhan, 12 March 1980).

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