{"id":250650,"date":"2021-11-12T11:55:52","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T16:55:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=250650"},"modified":"2023-02-08T13:59:51","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T12:59:51","slug":"iran-asghar-mehdizadeh-the-survivor-of-the-1988-massacre-testifies-in-hamid-noury-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/human-rights\/iran-asghar-mehdizadeh-the-survivor-of-the-1988-massacre-testifies-in-hamid-noury-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran: Asghar Mehdizadeh, the Survivor of the 1988 Massacre Testifies in Hamid Noury Trial"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-250651\" title=\"Iran-NCRI-1988-Noury-Mehdizadeh\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Iran-NCRI-1988-Noury-Mehdizadeh.jpg\" alt=\"Iran-NCRI-1988-Noury-Mehdizadeh\" width=\"1000\" height=\"562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Iran-NCRI-1988-Noury-Mehdizadeh.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Iran-NCRI-1988-Noury-Mehdizadeh-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Iran-NCRI-1988-Noury-Mehdizadeh-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Iran-NCRI-1988-Noury-Mehdizadeh-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Iran-NCRI-1988-Noury-Mehdizadeh-696x391.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">On Friday, the third <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/human-rights\/iran-1988-massacre-nourys-second-trial-in-albania-majid-saheb-jams-testimony\/\" rel=\"noopener\">session<\/a> of Hamid Noury\u2019s trial in Albania was held. Noury is an Iranian prison official who had participated in\u00a0the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/human-rights\/a-political-analysis-of-irans-1988-massacre\/\">1988 massacre of prisoner<\/a>s. Today, Asghar Mehdizadeh, one of the plaintiffs, testified in the District Court of Durres, Albania.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Noury was detained in 2019 by the Swedish authorities,\u00a0and his trial began in 2021 in Sweden. After 34 sessions, the trial location was transferred to Albania per the prosecutor\u2019s request since thousands of members of the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/english.mojahedin.org\/about-iranian-opposition-pmoi-mek\" rel=\"noopener\">Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK)<\/a> reside in Ashraf 3,\u00a0Albania. The MEK supporters and members form the majority of over 30,000 martyrs of the 1988 massacre.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI was arrested in 1982,\u201d Mehdizadeh said. He was in prison for nearly 13 years. Mehdizadeh is one of the direct witnesses of the 1988 massacre.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/english.mojahedin.org\/i\/hamid-nouri-trial-asghar-mehdizadeh-testimony-1988-massacre-20211112\" rel=\"noopener\">According<\/a> to Mehdizadeh, he first saw Noury, then known as Abbasi, in 1986. \u201cMy family lived in a village in\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Sume\u2019esara. I was in\u00a0Gohardasht\u00a0prison in Karaj,\u201d he said, adding that his family had difficulties\u00a0making\u00a0the 350-kilometer trip to visit him.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI requested to be transferred to the city of Rasht. When I talked to Hamid Abbasi [Noury] about this, he said you are still holding your position and describing your sentencing as supporting [the MEK]. Until you start cooperating with us,\u00a0there will be no transfer. So, he rejected my request,\u00a0and I returned to the ward,\u201d Mehdizadeh added.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In Friday&#39;s session, Asghar Mehdizadeh, a former political prisoner who spent 13 years in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a>\u2019s prisons, testifies on the atrocities that took place in the regime&#39;s horrific prisons.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/1988Massacre?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#1988Massacre<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ProsecuteRaisiNOW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ProsecuteRaisiNOW<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>[File photo] <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wa3btQpWeR\">pic.twitter.com\/wa3btQpWeR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; People&#39;s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mojahedineng\/status\/1459060223436419076?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 12, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Noury is notorious as a cold-blooded torturer. Mehdizadeh had seen him torturing prisoners. \u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">One day in the winter,\u00a0we saw [Hamid Noury] from the window. He was taking\u202fa number of\u202fthe younger inmates to the courtyard, forcing them to crawl on the ground in that cold. When I saw this scene along with\u202fa number of\u202fother prisoners from the window, we saw [Noury] and a\u202fprison guard named\u202f\u2018Majid Lore\u2019 punishing those young inmates,\u201d Mehdizadeh recalled during the Friday\u2019s session.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">While underlining that he witnessed the regime\u2019s atrocities since 1979, Mehdizadeh shared some harrowing accounts of the 1988 massacre and the events prior to this crime against humanity.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cOn July 27, 1988,\u202fthe prison\u202fguards\u202ftook\u202fus to the courtyard.\u202fAfter we returned,\u202fthey\u202fordered all of us to put on\u202fblindfolds\u202fand to\u202fexit our sections,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u202fsaw Hamid Abbasi [Noury] sitting behind a small desk, and when I reached the\u202fdesk,\u202fhe\u202fstarted asking me\u202fquestions.\u202fOne of the questions was about my sentence.\u202fWhen\u202fI said,\u202fI am\u202fa\u202fMEK\u202fsupporter, in contrast to\u202fthe past when he would curse and start beating\u202fme, this time he said nothing.\u201d <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Mehdizadeh was also a first-hand witness to how Noury, who was one of the senior prison guards in Gohardasht, tormented political prisoners.<br \/>On one winter day Noury forced a number of young inmates to crawl on the cold ground in the courtyard as a form of punishment.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/iIek0tsiwO\">pic.twitter.com\/iIek0tsiwO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; People&#39;s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mojahedineng\/status\/1459081114966917137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 12, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cWhen we returned to our section of the\u00a0prison ,\u00a0we were all asking questions about why they were treating us like this?\u201d\u202fhe added.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThe guards took away our television on July 28. We also saw an armed guard who checked the prison yard. On July 28, and 29, we were preparing ourselves for family visits, when a guard came and said you are not allowed to have visits or purchase anything from the prison shop,\u201d Mehdizadeh said, adding they were baffled about the origins of these actions.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cAround 11 am, the guards called two prisoners and took them away. We\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">were worried that they were being taken to solitary confinement or for execution\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cAround noon I saw from the window that Davoud Lashgari [another torturer] was taking five blindfolded prisoners to [unknown place] they went to the bathroom, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">and\u202fcarry out\u202ftheir\u202fwudhu ritual, [the washing before Islamic prayers.]\u00a0\u00a0They were\u202fjoking and embracing each other,\u201d Mehdizadeh said.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cOne them was tall and broad-shouldered. When I saw him, I broke into tears because I knew him. It was\u202fMahsheed\u202fRazaghi, and we used to be in ward 19 together,\u201d Mehdizadeh said.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Mahsheed Razaghi was a member of the Iranian national soccer team. He was a\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">meli-kesh,\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0a\u00a0term political prisoners used to describe those whose sentences were finished but were kept in prison.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cI saw them taking [prisoners] to a warehouse. We were wondering what they would do to them. Would they be tortured or executed? After around an hour I saw 20 guards coming out of that warehouse, including Abbasi [Noury] and Lashgari,\u201d Mehdizadeh testified.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThey were saying these are\u202f<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Monafeghs\u202f<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\">[hypocrites, the term Iran\u2019s regime uses to refer to the MEK], all of them must be executed,\u201d Mehdizadeh added.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Mehdizadeh also testified that Mahsheed Razaghi\u2019s brother was executed in July and Mahsheed was under torture for a month.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Mehdizadeh recalls seeing five blindfolded prisoners being transferred by Davood Lashgari [Rahmani], a notorious torturer of political prisoners.<br \/>Those prisoners were never seen again, indicating to the other inmates that they had most likely been executed.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/1988Massacre?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#1988Massacre<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rpW8rJb0Ve\">pic.twitter.com\/rpW8rJb0Ve<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; People&#39;s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mojahedineng\/status\/1459083882393833477?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 12, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cAbout\u00a0and\u00a0hour later, I saw ten more blindfolded prisoners who went through the same process by Noury and Lashgari. They embraced each other and went to the warehouse, where others had gone before them.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cUntil\u202fthat\u202fnight, I saw around 19 or 20 people being taken into the building. At night, the guards brought out their dead bodies and carried them away with a car,\u201d Mehdizadeh said.\u202f\u201cThat night we were all waiting for the guards to call us.\u201d\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cOn Sunday, Lashgari came and told us to put on our blindfolds and go outside the cell. There the guards had formed a human tunnel, and as we passed the\u00a0tunnel\u00a0they start beating us asking \u2018What is your crime?\u2019\u201d Mehdizadeh said.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cWhen they asked\u202fMohsen Karim\u202fNejad\u202fhis crime, he said in a loud voice, \u2018Supporter of the MEK!\u2019\u202fAfter that, Hamid Abbasi [Noury] and another guard pulled him out of the line. We never saw him again,\u201d\u202fMehdizadeh\u202fsaid.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThey took us then to a larger room. Lashgari read the names of 13 prisoners, including me and took us outside.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">When we went out, Hamid Abbasi [Noury]\u202ftook us to the \u2018Death Corridor,\u2019\u201d Mehdizadeh said.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The hallway, later became as the \u201cDeath Corridor\u201d was where prisoners were kept before meeting the so-called \u201cDeath Commission,\u201d a four-membered committee tasked with identifying the loyal MEK supporters and sending them to the gallows. These \u201cDeath Commissions,\u201d across Iran, implemented a fatwa by the regime\u2019s then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini. Based on Khomeini\u2019s fatwa, all the MEK supporters who would refuse to disavow from their ideals should be \u201cimmediately executed.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cFrom August 4 to August\u202f8, I was in the Death Corridor,\u201d Mehdizadeh said. \u201cAnd every day, I witnessed\u202f15 groups of 10-15 prisoners being taken to\u202fthe\u202f\u2018Death Hall.\u2019\u201d\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Death Hall was the same large warehouse where Mehdizadeh and other prisoners saw that prison authorities took those who were supposed to be executed there.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">As one group of prisoners was\u00a0hanged, the prison authorities forced the others to watch until their own time came.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cOn\u00a0August 8,\u00a0I\u00a0was\u00a0in solitary confinement when Mohammad\u00a0Moghiseh\u00a0[aka\u00a0Nasserian],\u00a0Pourmohammadi, Noury, and several others entered\u00a0my cell.\u00a0When they opened my cell,\u202fNasserian\u202fstarted swearing at me and said,\u00a0this is a\u202f<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">monafegh<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u202fwho is still firm in his support [for the MEK],\u201d Mehdizadeh said.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThey took me out of the cell and through several hallways and rooms. They took a brief pause to torture me in one of the rooms.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0In one of the\u202fhallways, I saw a row of bags on which it read, \u2018We\u2019re gone. Send our regards to the MEK,\u2019\u201d Mehdizadeh said while breaking into tears.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThey took me to the bathroom and\u202ftortured me.\u202fI passed out in the\u202fbathroom. When I regained consciousness a few hours later, I could barely\u202fmove,\u201d Mehdizadeh said. \u201cI crawled out of the bathroom\u202fand found a window to look outside.\u201d\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cTherre\u00a0was another prisoner in the neighboring cell.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">I introduced myself to him. He said his name\u00a0was Hadi Mohammad Nejad.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Four of his relatives, including three of his brothers\u202fand a\u202fsister-in-law,\u00a0had been executed by the regime,\u201d Mehdizadeh said.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u202f\u201cWhen I saw the executions, I did not accept the proposal,\u201d Mohammad Nejad told Mehdizadeh.\u202f\u201cThey took me into the Death Hall. From under the blindfold, I could see the bodies of the dead. One of the guards removed my blindfold. I saw a stage\u202fon which twelve MEK supporters were standing on chairs with nooses around their necks. The\u202fguards were\u202fdragging the dead bodies\u202fout of the building. Davood Lashgari,\u202fNasserian, and Hamid Abbasi [Noury] were on the stage. The MEK supporters started to chant slogans\u202fsuch as \u2018Long live freedom,\u2019 \u2018Long live Rajavi,\u2019\u202f\u2018Death to Khomeini.\u2019\u202fThe guards started pulling the chairs from under their feet.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThe next morning,\u00a0I was taken to the death hall,\u201d Mehdizadeh said. \u201cI asked a prisoner near me\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">what is going on here? He said, \u2018Is it your first time?\u2019 I said yes. He said, \u2018Then they\u2019ll take you to the Death Hall to see the executions.\u2019\u201d<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">An hour later,\u202fa guard came\u202fout of the Death Hall\u202fand loudly said,\u00a0who wants to go to heaven?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cTwelve people got up and\u202floudly chanted\u202f\u2018Ya Hossein [the\u202fthird\u202fShiite Imam] and hail to Mojahed.\u2019\u202fAfter these 12 people got up, four or five others joined them. The guard who saw them said, \u2018You\u2019re speeding past each other to be executed?\u2019 One of the\u202fprisoners\u202fsaid, \u2018Yes.\u00a0Do you know why? Because we\u2019re Mojahed and you\u2019re\u202fa Pasdar [Revolutionary Guard members loyal to Khomeini],\u2019\u201d Mehdizadeh said.\u202f\u201cThey weren\u2019t afraid of being executed,\u00a0and they were\u202fmocking the regime in its entirety. They did not fear death.\u201d\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThe prisoners broke their watches and glasses\u202fso that\u202fthe guards have nothing to loot. They even ripped the\u202fbanknotes they had in their pockets and their letter of will,\u201d Mehdizadeh testified.\u202f\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Then the guards came for him.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThe guard took me into the hall and\u202fkept me standing at around 30 meters from the stage.\u202fFrom under my blindfold, I could see the bodies of\u202fexecuted prisoners piled up on each other on the stage,\u201d he said.\u202f\u201cI lost control. When the guard\u202fremoved\u202fmy\u202fblindfold, I saw 12 MEK supporters on the stage, standing on\u202fchairs and\u202fwith nooses around their necks.\u202fThe guards were carrying the dead bodies outside\u202fand showing them to each other.\u202fOn one side of the stage were\u202fNasserian, Davood\u202fLashgari, and Hamid Abbasi [Noury], and on the other side were\u202faround\u202f20\u202fother guards.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The prisoners, according to Mehdizadeh,\u00a0chanted,\u00a0\u201cLong live Rajavi,\u202fDeath to Khomeini!\u201d\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cAs the prisoners shouted,\u202fNasserian\u202fand his entourage were looking at them with stupefaction. Then suddenly,\u202fNasserian\u202fsnapped at Davood Lashgari, Abbasi, and the other guards, \u2018These are\u202fmonafeghs! What are you waiting for? Empty their chairs!\u201d Mehdizadeh said.\u202f\u201cAs\u202fNasserian\u202fstarted removing the chairs,\u202fLasghari\u202fand Abbasi followed suit.\u201d\u202f\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cSoon after,\u00a0I saw prisoners\u00a0jumping\u00a0off the chairs by themselves in defiance of the regime.\u00a0Some of the guards\u202fpunched the hanging bodies and shouted,\u202f\u2018Death to\u202fmonafegh.\u2019 As I took in these\u202fscenes,\u202fI lost my\u202fcontrol and balance. After a while,\u00a0I noticed\u202fthat someone was splashing water on my face,\u201d he said while breaking into tears. \u201cI decided I should get of this situation.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">After a brief pause,\u00a0the court session on Friday continued. Mehdizadeh testified that he had witnessed a large group of people, nearly 100 prisoners in the \u201cDeath Hall.\u201d\u00a0He saw the guards holding on to prisoners after they were hanged, so the victims died\u00a0faster.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">According to Mehdizadeh, Lashgari asked questions from prisoners,\u00a0and whoever identified himself as \u201cMEK supporter\u201d was lined up by Noury,\u00a0and he took them to the \u201cDeath Hall.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cWhen they were taken to the commission, it didn\u2019t take more than a minute or\u00a0two, and then they took them\u202fto the Death Corridor, where they were handed to Hamid Abbasi. Abbasi took them to the Death Hall in groups of\u202f10 to 12,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Mehdizadeh says throughout that day he saw 19 or 20 prisoners taken to the warehouse, and that night their corpses were transferred with a vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>This sketch resembles the scene inside the warehouse, dubbed the &quot;Hall of Death&quot; by the survivors of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a>&#39;s <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/1988Massacre?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#1988Massacre<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/58xQuQQ7cJ\">pic.twitter.com\/58xQuQQ7cJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; People&#39;s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mojahedineng\/status\/1459094921407651847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 12, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cI was sitting in the \u2018Death Corridor\u2019 and saw they brought\u00a0prisoners from everywhere. Someone came and sat near me. I asked him whether he had heard about the\u00a0executions,\u00a0and he said no,\u201d Mehdizadeh said.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cI was sitting there for about an hour. I saw my friends going to the Death Hall. I was sitting there when\u00a0Nasserian\u00a0came to me and slowly whispered,\u00a0\u2018Crime?\u2019 I wasn\u2019t brave enough to say I\u2019m a MEK supporter,\u201d Mehdizadeh said while running into tears. \u201cThen Abbasi [Noury] took me to the other side of the corridor.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThere, I saw Kazem Sanat-Fard, who inquired about our friends, including Dr. Farzin [Nosrati]. Kazem was taken to Evin prison to be released. But he told me that [authorities] began executions on July 27 in Evin and had so far executed 200 to 400 people,\u201d Mehdizadeh said.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Coinciding with the court session in Albania, several other political prisoners and family members of victims spoke to the press about the regime\u2019s crimes.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">On Friday, the MEK supporters and the families of victims held a protest rally in Sweden,\u00a0where the trial of Hamid Noury\u00a0began. They paid tribute to the martyrs of the 1988 massacre and called for the prosecution of all the regime officials involved in these crimes, including\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u0651the\u00a0current\u00a0Iran\u00a0regime\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">president Ebrahim Raisi and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">November 12 &#8211; Stockholm<br \/>Freedom-loving Iranians &amp; supporters of the Iranian opposition MEK, along with family members of political prisoners killed by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a>&#39;s regime, coinciding with Hamid Noury&#39;s trial in Durres, Albania.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/1988Massacre?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#1988Massacre<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ProsecuteRaisiNOW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ProsecuteRaisiNOW<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1zYWyi0d47\">pic.twitter.com\/1zYWyi0d47<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; People&#39;s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mojahedineng\/status\/1459139959063920644?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 12, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Friday, the third session of Hamid Noury&rsquo;s trial in Albania was held. Noury is an Iranian prison official who had participated in&nbsp;the&nbsp;1988 massacre of prisoners. Today, Asghar Mehdizadeh, one [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":250651,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75,15],"tags":[288,129,141,142,197,198],"class_list":{"0":"post-250650","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-stop-executions-in-iran","8":"category-human-rights","9":"tag-hamid-noury","10":"tag-iran","11":"tag-human-rights","12":"tag-1988-massacre","13":"tag-mek-iran","14":"tag-ncri"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Iran: Asghar Mehdizadeh, the Survivor of the 1988 Massacre Testifies in Hamid Noury Trial - NCRI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On Friday, the third session of Hamid Noury\u2019s trial in Albania was held. Today, Asghar Mehdizadeh, one of the plaintiffs, testified in the District Court of Durres, Albania.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/human-rights\/iran-asghar-mehdizadeh-the-survivor-of-the-1988-massacre-testifies-in-hamid-noury-trial\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Iran: Asghar Mehdizadeh, the Survivor of the 1988 Massacre Testifies in Hamid Noury Trial - NCRI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On Friday, the third session of Hamid Noury\u2019s trial in Albania was held. 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