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

Jahangir (Jahan) Ahmad Goltapeh

About

Nationality: Iran
Religion: Non-Believer
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: January 25, 1983
Location of Killing: Evin Prison, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Shooting
Charges: Acting against state's security; Actively opposing the Islamic Republic; Armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic; Membership of anti-regime guerilla group; Participating in clashes with revolutionary guards and or Bassij brothers; Plotting to overthrow the Islamic Republic; Possession of arms

About this Case

News of the execution of Mr. Jahangir Ahmad-Goltapeh, son of Shir’ali, a member of the Ettehadieh Komonist-ha, along with 21 others, was reported in the Jomhuri Eslami daily on January 27, 1983. The report quotes the public relations office of the Islamic Revolution’s Public Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran. The information about his charges and defense was published in the same newspaper on January 9, 1983, and in the Kayhan newspaper on January 29, 1983.

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. 

Additional information about Mr. Ahmad-Goltapeh is based on an electronic form sent to Omid by a person familiar with his case.    

The Ettehadieh Komonist-ha was created by exiled opponents of the Pahlavi regime, who mostly belonged to the Student Confederation. They followed the teachings of Mao Tse-Tung but did not believe in guerilla warfare. The group became marked by ideological divisions during the periods preceding and following the 1979 revolution, which caused it to split into several factions. One of the most important rifts was triggered by the decision of a number of members to take up arms and to take over a city in Iran. The uprising plan, devised in the midst of an active and violent anti-communist campaign by the revolutionary Islamic government, split the Ettehadieh in two factions:  one believed in the armed movement, and the other opposed it.

In the winter of 1982, armed members of the Ettehadieh hid in a forest in the North of Iran (Jangal in Farsi) outside the city of Amol. This group, also known as the Jangal group, was involved in several clashes with the Revolutionary Guards and, ultimately, on January 26, attacked the city of Amol, hoping to generate a general uprising. The attempt to seize Amol failed. It is reported that a number of the group’s members, Revolutionary Guards, and civilians were killed during the Amol clash. Subsequently, members of the Ettehadieh, including those who opposed the Amol uprising, were arrested and tried for belonging to the organization and for having participated in the Amol clash. 

Arrest and detention

The circumstances of Mr. Jahangir Ahmad-Goltapeh’s arrest and detention are not known. According to information sent to Omid, he had gone to Tehran from Amol on foot. In spite of his relatives’ insistence that he leave the country, he stayed and was arrested at his home in Tehran. Only his (more than thirty) family members were permitted to visit him at early hours of the morning. Because of this, when his mother was going to visit him in the dark hours of a morning, she had an accident with a car and died.      

Trial

Based on the existing reports, Mr. Jahangir Ahmad-Goltapeh, along with 28 or 29 others, was tried between January 9 and 15, 1983. The trial took place at Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Public Prosecutor’s Office in Evin Prison in Tehran, with Ayatollah Mohammadi-Gilani as the presiding judge.  

Charges

Mr. Jahangir Ahmad-Goltapeh’s indictment was read to him by Asadollah Lajevardi, Tehran’s Public Prosecutor. The text of this indictment is as follows:  “Being active in counter-revolutionary grouplets from 1980 until September 1982; being a member of the Union of Communists of Iran (Sarbedaran) and staying in the forests of Amol for six months in order to conduct military action against the divine government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Moreover, he was charged with “directly participating in the armed clashes of November 13 in the forest, where one revolutionary guard was martyred, directly participating in Razkeh clashes … directly participating in attacking Amol on January 26, 1982, and killing tens of Hezbollah community members (Ommat) - he used a G3 gun in this clash and was the head of the team, wounding several Revolutionary Guards and Gendarmerie forces, as well as unarmed civilians, which in some cases led to their martyrdom … directly participating in the clashes of February 9, 1982, in Gaznehsarah, where he was wounded in the head.” The Islamic Revolution’s Public Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran declared that Mr. Ahmad-Goltapeh’s culpability was “indisputable.” Therefore, the Public Prosecutor asked for the “maximum penalty possible.”  

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

There is no mention of documented evidence against Mr. Ahmad-Goltapeh. The report states that he admitted to having stolen food while in the forest and having taken part in clashes with the security forces, which resulted in the death of one revolutionary guard and the injury of a doctor.     

Defense

According to the report, Mr Ahmad-Goltapeh did not defend himself; however, he pointed to the fact that, “When we were in the forest, our leaders used to tell us that the pamphlets of Sarbedaran were sold and bought for 300 tumans and that people were waiting for us to attack the city.”    

Judgment

Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Public Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran sentenced Mr. Ahmad-Goltapeh and 21 others to death. The sentence was carried out in public and in the presence of the families of those killed in Amol, on January 25, 1983, at 9:00 p.m. According to the information sent to Omid, the family of Mr. Ahmad-Goltapeh heard the news from their television.       

Correct/ Complete This Entry