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

Kazem Sami Kermani

About

Age: 53
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Islam (Shi'a)
Civil Status: Married

Case

Date of Killing: November 23, 1988
Location of Killing: Sasan Hospital, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Stabbing
Charges: Unknown charge

About this Case

Information about Mr. Kazem Sami-Kermani, son of Gholamreza, is based on an electronic form sent to the Boroumand Foundation by a person familiar with this case. According to this information, he was born in Mashhad in 1935. He was married and a psychiatrist. He was also a member of the Revolutionary Movement of Iranian People, Health Minister in the provincial government; a candidate for the presidency during the first presidential election; and a representative of the Islamic Parliament. Additional information was taken from the Mihan website and a Payam-e Hajar publication.        

The Revolutionary Movement of Iranian People (JAMA) was established by several Muslim sympathizers of the National Movement, including Kazem Sami-Kermani and Habibollah Peyman. Their views favored nationalism, pro-soviet socialism, and Islam with a minor role for the latter. After the Islamic Revolution, influenced by the political atmosphere of the time, this group changed its name to the Revolutionary Movement of Iranian Moslem People. Habibollah Peyman separated from the group and founded the Fighting Moslems Movement.

According to information sent to Omid, Mr. Kazem Sami-Kermani was assassinated by a person pretending to be a patient [stabbed Mr. Sami-Kermani] with blows of a knife in his office on November 23, 1988. He died two days later in a hospital. The murderer also locked Mr. Sami-Kermani’s wife in a room.      

According to an interview with a close friend of Mr. Sami-Kermani by the Payam-e Hajar, published on November 23, 1999, authorities first announced the killing as a conspiracy to disturb the stability and security of the country. But when the body of the murderer, Mahmud Jalilian, was found in a public bath in Ahvaz, seemingly having hanged himself, authorities declared the motive for assassination to be a personal revenge. This was based on a bureaucratic dispute between the killer and Dr. Sami-Kermani in the UAE, many years before. However, according to this source, quoting officials and analyzing events of before and after the assassination, there were many reasons to reject the idea of personal revenge as a motive. According to the interviewee, when there is a personal motive and the murderer is gone, the case is closed, and there is a rush to close the case at the time. But, according to the private forensics report, the murderer was first killed and then hanged in the bath. Additionally, the family of Dr. Sami-Kermani was threatened not to pursue the case. Otherwise, there would be attempts on the lives of other members of the family.

According to the Mihan website, “Dr. Sami-Kermani, Head of the Revolutionary Movement of Iranian People and Health Minister of the Bazargan cabinet, had concluded that the gang who governed Iran consisted of a dangerous fascist group of people who drove the country to destruction. He expressed his opinions freely and criticized the regime, in spite of receiving several written and phone threats. … After the assassination of Dr. Sami-Kermani, his family complained to the judiciary of the Islamic Republic. But the case, judged by Ali Yunesi, the Intelligence Minister at the time, was announced closed without any results. At the time, it was said that the crime had been carried out by a group of Hezbollah connected to the Intelligence Ministry and that the identity of murderer(s) were known to the judge. However, by order of the Intelligence Ministry, the judge closed the case.”

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