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

Kamran Samimi Behbahani

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; Membership of anti-regime guerilla group; Possession of arms; Printing/distributing leaflets

About this Case

The execution of Mr. Kamran Samimi Behbahani, 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 of the Islamic Revolution’s Public Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran. The information about his charges and defenses was published in the same newspaper on January 11, 1983.

This execution was also reported in an addendum to the Mojahed magazine (No 261), published by Mojahedin Khalq Organization in 1985. The list includes 12028 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.

The Ettehadieh Komonist-ha (the Union of Communists of Iran) was created by exiled opponents of the Pahlavi regime who mostly belonged to the Student Confederation. They followed the teachings of Mao Tse-Tung and did not believe in guerilla warfare. The group became marked by ideological divides 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 by a number of members to take up arms and 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 Union in two factions: one supporting the armed movement and the other opposing it.

In the winter of 1982, armed members of the Union hid in a forest in the North of Iran (Jangal in Farsi) outside the city of Amol. This group, also known as the Sarbedaran-e Jangal, 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 Union, 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 this defendant’s arrest and detention are not known.

Trial

According to this report Mr. Samimi Behbahani was tried along with 28 to 29 others between January 9th and 15th, 1983. The trial took place at the 1st division of the Islamic Revolutionary Public Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran with Ayatollah Mohammadi Gilani as the residing judge.

Charges

Mr. Samimi Behbahani’s indictment was read to him by Asadollah Lajevardi, Tehran’s Public Prosecutor. The text of this indictment is as follows: “being an active member of the [Union of the Communists of Iran] with an effective role in strengthening and establishing it, being active in Ehya Confederation in the United States which was affiliated with the Union,…participating in the third congress of the Union with the members of the Central Committee, as well as the active key members of the Union in a child daycare center that was used as a secret meeting place…as well as providing his house for organizational meeting of the members and supporters of the Union.”

His other charges were “having several members of the Union known as Mas’ud, Mansur and Ma’sum (the defendant’s wife and the manager of the Minu Company) under his supervision, being in charge of distributing the Union’s publications among the members in Tehran, infiltrating the Martyrs Foundation through the Union as a translator of English language using the alias of Taher Musavi and employing several members of the organization in the Meli Shoe, Pars and Minu companies.” Moreover, “he was in charge of several financial projects for the Union- 1st project: buying rolls of paper and selling it in different sizes to pay the interests to the Union- 2nd project: acting as a contact between the Union and a clothing company; i.e., paying 500,000 Rials to an agent of the Union known as Dordaneh and using the interest as a financial support for the Union. He also used to gather the financial aid from the members, as well as supporters of the Union including their monthly memberships …”

The rest of his charges comprise of “concealing and storing several boxes containing the Union’s munitions in his house…including 11 RPG-7, about 10 kg of Black Gunpowder, 11 American bulletproof vests, 73 dynamite sticks, 100 detonators, 63 dynamite fuses 25, storing a suitcase of weapons belonging to the Union and transferring it to another member called Sohrab.” Besides, the defendant “had knowledge of the planned transfer of the forces to the forest of Amol, as well as the armed insurrection against the Islamic Republic but callously did not pass on the information to the government…”

Evidence of guilt

Based on the report, Mr. Samimi Behbahani “pled guilty to all the charges in the indictment and gave explanations about each of them.” However the defendant’s explanations were not mentioned in the report. It was only reported that he had no defense and had "pled guilty".

Defense

The report mentions that the defendant did not defend his actions but rather pled guilty to the charges.

Judgment

The 1st division of the Islamic Revolutionary Public Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran sentenced Mr. Samimi Behbahani to death. The sentence was carried out at 9 pm.

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