The 54th trial session of Hamid Nouri; Witness: The defendant was banging my head on the table and saying I didn't deserve freedom.

The 54th trial session of Hamid Nouri, accused of war crimes and participation in the massacre of political prisoners in the summer of 1988, was held on Thursday, December 15, 2018, in Stockholm, Sweden, with the testimony of Mehrzad Dashtbani.

The witness testified in court based on the prosecutor's indictment against Hamid Nouri in connection with the charge of "premeditated murder" of leftist political prisoners in 2018.

Mehrzad Dashtbani was first arrested in the fall of 1988 on suspicion of being a supporter of the People's Mojahedin Organization (PMOI) and a second time in late 1982 for his activities in the organization "Struggle for the Liberation of the Working Class." The witness was taken to Ward 209 of Evin Prison and was later sentenced to five years in prison.

Mehrzad Dashtbani was imprisoned in Gohardasht Prison from 2015 to 2017. He had met Hamid Nouri many times in Gohardasht and Evin prisons. During his entire prison term, he only had one face-to-face meeting with Hamid Nouri.

Hamid Nouri had tried to use the prisoner's parents in this meeting to get a commitment and signature. He had said that this [Mehrzad Dashtbani] himself wanted to stay in prison and if he signed, he would be released right away. He had emphasized that the prison authorities would not be responsible for the consequences of this issue from now on.

The witness told the court today how he was severely beaten by Hamid Nouri in Gohardasht Prison after he refused to write a letter of disgust and a written commitment at the end of his five-year sentence. The witness said that Hamid Nouri had grabbed his throat and was pressing on him. At the same time, Nouri was banging his head on the table and shouting that he did not have the right or deserve to be free and that he would kill him himself. The witness also experienced gang beatings by Nouri and his colleagues. Dashtbani was transferred to Evin Prison a short time after this incident and was held in solitary confinement from late 2017 until the day the resolution was adopted.

He was later transferred to Gohardasht with a number of other leftist prisoners and held in groups of two in solitary cells above the “Nationalist” ward. He later entered the “Nationalist” ward and saw almost no Mujahedin there. There were only a handful of Mujahedin-e Khalq remaining, and most of them had been massacred.

Mehrzad Dashtbani witnessed three beige-colored vans enter the prison yard after a Friday. The death squad, including Raisi, Mobasheri, and Ishraghi, got out of the vans and left, and the drivers lay down on the hoods of the vans. In another part of his statement, the witness completed his description of the scene by saying that half an hour later, a helicopter arrived inside the prison, carrying Mousavi Ardebili, the then head of the judiciary.

Mehrzad Dashtbani also confirmed the identities and executions of some of the individuals listed in the indictment, including Hossein Haj Mohsen, Majid Walid, Sarkhosh, Mahmoud Ghazi, and Mohammad Ali Pejman.

The witness recounted the statements of prisoners in the “national killers” ward about Abbas Raisi, a supporter of the Peykar organization and a law student. The night before his execution, Abbas Raisi had said that he could not return to the south and tell the oil company workers that he was a Muslim and prayed. He had said that everyone should make their own personal decision. Abbas Raisi preferred to be executed in Gohardasht prison.

Mehrzad Dashtbani, a witness in today's trial, was transferred to Gohardasht Prison again in August 2019. He said about the events after the executions that prisoners were pressured to pray. When prison guards heard the answer "no," they attacked the prisoners with cables, punches, and kicks. Mehrzad Dashtbani was released from Gohardasht Prison in early 2019.

The next court session will be held on Monday, December 20, with the testimony of Hossein Maleki in Stockholm.

Source: Voice of America