Iran Focus
London, 14 October – An expert on Social Science and a social researcher, was arrested by the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence agents on October 16، 2013. She was charged with Muharebeh, or “waging war against God.”
Mr. Ali Asghar Zehtabchi, the father of Mrs. Zehtabchi, was a renowned Tehran bazaar merchant executed in 1981 for supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
As reported by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) political prisoner, Zahra Zehtabchi, in a letter, exposed the crimes of the Mullahs’ regime against her family. What follows are parts of her letter:
“I, Zahra Zehtabchi, the mother of two daughters, was charged with the membership in PMOI (MEK) and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. However, I was only the simple supporter of PMOI (MEK) and had a short-term internet relationship with them.
Of course, such condemnations in Iran is nothing new because, in all these years, this regime has condemned many people on unfounded grounds to long imprisonments and executions without holding a trial in the courts. My father and father-in-law are the illustrative examples of such condemnations.
“My father, Ali Asghar (Amir) Zehtabchi, was born in 1941 and executed in Evin Prison on 20th August 1981. On 20th August 1981, a rally was held by the PMOI (MEK) in Tehran and the Iranian regime turned violent. Many people were killed and arrested by them.
“In the evening of the same day, I was at home with my mother, sister and we were listening to the evening news. They announced that 13 protesters were arrested on that day and according to the court vote, they were accused of enmity against God and were executed. My father was also among those 13 protesters.
“First, how could they possibly take these protesters to the court on the same day just a few hours after the arrest and how could they pass the sentence on them immediately?
“Secondly, my father was already arrested in Tehran’s Bazaar 15 days before the day of protest and this issue did not have anything to do with the demonstration that was staged on 20th August 1981.
“When my father was executed, I was 12 years old and had two sisters aged 14 and 5 and a 16-year-old brother as well. Then, in 1992 my mother and brother were arrested by the Iranian regime. My mother served time for a year and my brother for 4 years as well.
“In March 1989, my father-in-law had taken a mother with her 4-year-old child to Zahedan in order to withdraw them from Iran and they were then arrested and executed without the family’s awareness.
“After the execution, the bodies were not handed over to us, neither were we told about their burial place.
“So far, there is no news about what happened to that 4-year-old boy. This is part of the story of my life and my family’s over the years and I hope it helped to expose the facts of the 60s.
Blessed be their memory,
Zahra Zehtabchi,
Evin Prison,
October 2016.”
