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Ahmad Montazeri charged with acting against ‘Iran national security’

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NCRI – Monday, 5 September, Ahmad Montazeri (The son of the former heir to Khomeini), was summoned and interrogated for the seventh time and eventually charged with acting against national security interests due to publishing his father’s audio files revealing new details about the massacre of political prisoners in 1988.

Ahmad Montazeri wrote in his telegram channel: “Following the publication of audio files of Ayatollah Montazeri regarding the executions in the summer of 1988, Today I was summoned in the clergy Court of Qom, they charged me with acting against national security and asked me to defend myself, I wrote in response that due to citations of numerous legal articles which is unclear for me I do not accept the charges and will respond after consulting with my attorney, then I was released on 700 million Rials ( almost $23000)  bail and the next appearance date is scheduled for  07.09.2016.

Ahmad Montazeri was also summoned and interrogated by The Special Court of Clergy in Qom, for the sixth time on Sunday 4 September.

“Interrogators and judicial enforcement agents of Iran regime emphasized that the details of the interrogation must remain confidential,” The news channel of Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri announced.

After the interrogations, Ahmad Montazeri stated: “Although the thoroughness of the conversations could have been useful for everyone, but because the authorities stressed on confidentiality, a more detailed explanation will be refused.”

Background: 

In the summer of 1988, the Iranian regime summarily and extra-judicially executed tens of thousands of political prisoners held in jails across Iran. The massacre was carried out on the basis of a fatwa by the regime’s then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini.

The facts:

• More than 30,000 political prisoners were massacred in Iran in the summer of 1988.

• The massacre was carried out on the basis of a fatwa by Khomeini.

• The vast majority of the victims were activists of the opposition PMOI (MEK).

• A Death Committee approved all the death sentences.

• Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, a member of the Death Committee, is today Hassan Rouhani’s Justice Minister.

• The perpetrators of the 1988 massacre have never been brought to justice.

• On August 9, 2016, an audio tape was published for the first time of Khomeini’s former heir acknowledging that that massacre took place and had been ordered at the highest levels.