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

Mehrdad Geranpaieh

About

Age: 25
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Non-Believer
Civil Status: Single

Case

Date of Killing: September 15, 1985
Location of Killing: Hamedan, Hamedan Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Unspecified execution method
Charges: Unspecified counter-revolutionary offense

About this Case

Information about Mr. Mehrdad Geranpayeh is based on two electronic forms sent to Omid by a person familiar with his case. In these forms, memories of his friends are quoted, based on an article published on the website of Akhbar-rooz on September 3, 2011. His name is also listed among the victims of the Fadaiyan Khalq Minority Organization. According to the existing information, Mr. Geranpayeh was born into a large family in Hamadan, in 1960. He was single, a senior student in high school, and a sympathizer of the Fadaiyan Khalq Minority. According to his friends, he was athletic and loved climbing the high mountains of Iran. He was a kind, funny, and happy individual who always tried to inspire those around him.          

The Fadaiyan Khalq Organization, a Marxist-Leninist group inspired by the Cuban Revolution and the urban guerilla movements of Latin America, was founded in 1971 by two communist groups opposed to the Pahlavi regime. In 1981, the organization, which had opted for open political and electoral activity after the revolution, split over a critique of the concept of urban guerilla warfare and the support of the Islamic Republic and of the Soviet Union. The Fadaiyan Khalq Minority opposed the Islamic Republic, and though it did not abandon the theory of armed struggle, its activities were mainly limited to the political arena and the labor movement. Following the Mojahedin Khalq Organization’s June 21st declaration of armed struggle, the Fadaiyan announced the organization of combatant cells. However, based on available information, these cells did not become operational. Many of the groups’ members and supporters were arrested and executed in the early 1980’s.

Arrest and detention

According to one electronic form, he was arrested in Hamadan in 1984, after two years living in hiding and without any connection to his organization. However, according to a report published on the Akhbar-e rooz website, which quoted a comrade after his organization was recognized in Hamadan in 1982, Mr. Geranpayeh first moved to Tehran, and then to Esfahan, where his sister lived. He was identified and arrested in Esfahan. Agents of the Intelligence Ministry of Hamadan interrogated him in Esfahan and then transferred him to Hamadan. According to this report, he was tortured severely, and, while receiving lashes, a piece of wood was forced into his throat to suppress his cries.         

Trial

No information is available on Mr. Mehrdad Geranpayeh’s trial.  

Charges

No information is available on Mr. Mehrdad Geranpayeh’s charges.   

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. Mehrdad Geranpayeh.  

Defense

No information is available about Mr. Mehrdad Geranpayeh’s defense.  

Judgment

According to the information sent to Omid, Mr. Mehrdad Geranpayeh was executed or killed at the Hamedan prison on September 15, 1985. When his family took some clothes for him, hoping to visit him, authorities showed them his body. Later, Mr. Geranpayeh’s mother told one of his friends, “We could not believe it. We thought he was not feeling well, lying down. We called him and went closer. It was unbelievable. The boy was gone.”      

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