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

Mansur Bahramian

About

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

Case

Date of Killing: December 29, 1981
Location of Killing: Sanandaj, Kordestan Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Unspecified execution method
Charges: Counter revolutionary opinion and/or speech; Membership of anti-regime guerilla group; War on God, God's Prophet and the deputy of the Twelfth Imam

About this Case

News of the execution of Mr. Mansur Bahramian, son of Ahmad, along with twelve others, was reported in the Jomhuri Eslami daily on January 3, 1982, quoting a communiqué by the Public Relations department of the Islamic Revolution’s Chief Public Prosecutor. Additional information is based on an electronic form sent to Omid by a person familiar with his case.

This execution was also reported in an addendum to the Mojahed Magazine (No. 261), published by the Mojahedin Khalq Organization in 1985. The list includes 12,028 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.

According to the existing information, Mr. Mansur Bahramian was single and a sympathizer of the Mojahedin Khalq Organization.

The Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) was founded in 1965. This organization adapted the principals of Islam as its ideological guideline. However, its members’ interpretation of Islam was revolutionary, and they believed in armed struggle against the Shah’s regime. They valued Marxism as a progressive method for economic and social analysis but considered Islam to be their source of inspiration, culture, and ideology. In the 1970s, the MKO was weakened when many of its members were imprisoned and executed. In 1975, following a deep ideological crisis, the organization refuted Islam as its ideology and, after a few of its members were killed and other Muslim members purged, the organization proclaimed Marxism as its ideology. This move led to a split within the Marxist-Leninist section of the MKO in 1977. In January of 1979, the imprisoned Muslim leaders of the MKO were released, along with other political prisoners. They began to re-organize the MKO and to recruit new members based on Islamic ideology. After the 1979 Revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the MKO accepted the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini and supported the Revolution. Active participation in the political scene and infiltration of governmental institutions were primary in the organization’s agenda.  During the first two years after the Revolution, the MKO succeeded in recruiting numerous sympathizers, especially in high schools and universities; but its efforts to gain political power, whether by appointment or election, were strongly opposed by the Islamic Republic’s leaders. *

Arrest and detention

The circumstances of Mr. Bahramian’s arrest and detention are not known. According to the electronic form, he was arrested in Takab.  

Trial

No information is available regarding Mr. Bahramian’s trial. According to the communiqué of the public relations department of the Islamic Revolution’s Chief Public Prosecutor, the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj issued the ruling against Mr. Bahramian.  

Charges

According to the communiqué sent by the Public Relations Department of the Islamic Revolution’s Chief Public Prosecutor, the charges against Mr. Bahramian and another person were described to have engaged in:  “armed insurrection against the Islamic Republic of Iran, extensive collaboration with the [Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization or MKO], being involved in pro-organization activities, establishing the Students’ Islamic Association in Takab, holding sessions and attracting people to the organization, participation in discussions in the streets which resulted in clashes, providing financial support for the Mujahedin Khalq Organization, and supporting their positions.”

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 Mr. Bahramian.

Defense

No information is available regarding Mr. Bahramian's defense.

Judgment

The Islamic Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj identified Mr. Bahramian as “Mofsed [corruptor on earth], Mohareb [fighter against God], and Baghi [rebel] against the Islamic government.” He was sentenced to death and executed in Sanandaj on December 31, 1981 at dawn.

 ________________________

* The exclusion of MKO members from government offices and the closure of their centers and publishing houses, in conjunction with to the Islamic Republic authorities’ different interpretation of Islam, widened the gap between the two. Authorities of the new regime referred to the Mojahedin as “Hypocrites” and the Hezbollahi supporters of the regime attacked the Mojahedin sympathizers regularly during demonstrations and while distributing publications, leading to the death of several MKO supporters. On June 20, 1981, the MKO called for a demonstration protesting their treatment by governmental officials and the government officials’ efforts to impeach their ally, President Abolhassan Banisadr. Despite the fact that the regime called this demonstration illegal, thousands came to the streets, some of whom confronted the Revolutionary Guardsmen and Hezbollahis. The number of casualties that resulted from this demonstration is unknown but a large number of demonstrators were arrested and executed in the following days and weeks. The day after the demonstration, the Islamic Republic regime started a repressive campaign – unprecedented in modern Iranian history. Thousands of MKO members and sympathizers were arrested or executed. On June 21, 1981, the MKO announced an armed struggle against the Islamic Republic and assassinated a number of high-ranking officials and supporters of the Islamic regime.

In the summer of 1981, the leader of the MKO and the impeached President (Banisadr) fled Iran to reside in France, where they founded the National Council of Resistance. After the MKO leaders and many of its members were expelled from France, they went to Iraq and founded the National Liberation Army of Iran in 1987, which entered Iranian territory a few times during the Iran-Iraq war. They were defeated in July 1988 during their last operation, the Forugh Javidan Operation. A few days after this operation, thousands of imprisoned Mojahedin supporters were killed during the mass executions of political prisoners in 1988. Ever since the summer of 1981, the MKO has continued its activities outside of Iran. No information is available regarding members and activities of the MKO inside the country.

In spite of the “armed struggle” announcement by the MKO on June 20, 1981, many sympathizers of the organization had no military training, were not armed, and did not participate in armed conflict. 

Correct/ Complete This Entry