1967 Massacre Trial: Another Witness from Gohardasht Prison Testifies Against Hamid Nouri

Hamid Nouri's trial continued on Monday, March 19, in Stockholm, Sweden, with the testimony of a new witness. Hamid Ashtari, a former member of the People's Mojahedin Organization, testified in this court session that he had seen Hamid Nouri in Gohardasht Prison in 1987 and 1988.

Mr. Ashtari, along with Iraj Mesdaghi, filed the first complaint against Hamid Nouri and is one of Hamid Nouri's main plaintiffs, but on Monday, he testified as a witness that he had seen Hamid Nouri two years after his release.

According to his own account, Hamid Ashtari was arrested in May 1988 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for collaborating with the publications department of the People's Mojahedin Organization.

Hamid Nouri is accused of participating in the mass executions of political prisoners at Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, a charge he denies. He arrived at Stockholm Airport on November 9, 2019, on a direct flight from Iran, and was immediately arrested.

Hamid Nouri claims that he was in Evin Prison from 1982 to 1993 and only visited Gohardasht Prison a few times for missions.

Hamid Ashtari, who said he had seen Hamid Nouri in Gohardasht Prison many times, said in the court hearing on Monday that two years after his release, he saw him on the street and called him Mr. Abbasi, and that Hamid Nouri got into his car.

Mr. Ashtari, however, said that after introducing himself, Hamid Nouri got out of his car.

The witness added that he had never seen him smile inside the prison and that "he presented himself as a serious and stern person. I saw him a lot after the executions, and the proud way he walked was even more evident after the executions."

He testified that he had no doubt that Hamid Nouri was the same as Hamid Abbasi.

Hamid Ashtari, as one of Hamid Nouri's first complainants, said about the process of filing a complaint against him that before Hamid Nouri's trip to Sweden and his arrest, he had been informed about the trip through Iraj Mesdaghi.

On Monday, Hamid Nouri requested from the court president that Hamid Ashtari be present in court for another session so that he could ask his questions, but the court president opposed this request, saying that no new things were raised in the court session and that Mr. Nouri had had time to ask questions.

Hamid Nouri's lawyers also said that there was not enough time to ask all their questions to Hamid Ashtari as a witness. Finally, the presiding judge asked Hamid Ashtari to appear in court on Wednesday, March 24, and answer the questions of Hamid Nouri's lawyers.

The trial of Hamid Nouri, which will continue until May of next year in the Stockholm court in Sweden, has also prompted a reaction from the Islamic Republic's authorities.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called Mr. Nouri's trial "a design" by the People's Mojahedin Organization on September 1, claiming that the Swedish court "based on a series of stories, documentation, and false witness statements, all carried out by a small group."

Source: Radio Farda