Prosecutor of November People’s Court Charges 160 Islamic Republic Officials with ‘Crimes Against Humanity’
The prosecutor of the November International People’s Court released the names of 160 senior and provincial officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, as accused of perpetrating the November 2019 massacre.
This list, in addition to the heads of the three branches of government, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, the minister of interior, and senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, police force, and military, includes dozens of other senior officials including Mahmoud Alavi, former intelligence minister, and Mohammad Javad Zarif, communications and information technology minister in Hassan Rouhani’s government.
Based on documents and evidence received by this court from 440 people, of whom 219 have been questioned and verified, the prosecutor of the November International People’s Court has charged these 160 individuals with committing “crimes against humanity” during the November 2019 protests.
This court has called on anyone with additional evidence and documents in this regard to submit them to the court.
In the previous round of this court, which was held this November by the organizations “Justice for Iran,” “Iran Human Rights,” and the international organization “Together Against Death Penalty,” 34 witnesses and six expert witnesses presented their documents and evidence.
The November 2019 protests, which initially were a reaction to the sudden increase in gasoline prices, quickly changed direction and targeted the Islamic Republic government. However, these protests were met with severe suppression, resulting in hundreds of deaths.
The exact number of deaths in these crackdowns is unclear, but Reuters news agency, while reporting that at least 1,500 people were killed in the November 2019 protests, quoted “three sources close to Khamenei’s circle” and “a fourth official” as saying that the leader of the Islamic Republic told senior officials of the country to do “whatever is necessary to stop” the protests.
Witnesses’ Testimonies on the Third Day of the Second Round of the November International Court
In the third session of the second round of the November International People’s Court on Sunday, February 7 (Bahman 17), held confidentially in London, a former senior member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that the number of deaths from November crackdowns on the second day of protests was 427 people in Khuzestan and 417 people in Tehran.
This witness, who appeared virtually on Sunday as witness number 600 in the court, identified himself as one of the perpetrators of detentions and killings of protesters and their interrogations, and now regrets his past actions.
Witness number 600 also emphasized that the order to use maximum force to suppress November 2019 protesters was issued by the leader of the Islamic Republic and that Lebanese and Syrian forces stationed in Guard Corps camps for training were also used to carry out this order.
He also confirmed that many Basij members, despite being young children, carried weapons during these protests and fired flares in the air or shot at people to vent their excitement.
This witness also spoke about a large detention facility on Takht Street where hundreds of boys and girls were stripped naked and beaten.
He also spoke about the difficult conditions for handing over the bodies of victims, saying that many families of the killed kept their children’s bodies hidden out of fear of consequences, only burying them after a month, for example.
This witness cited “lack of preparedness and planning for announcing the gasoline price increase” as one of the reasons for the increase in deaths and violence during the November 2019 protests, saying that while even Hassan Rouhani, the then-president, was unaware at the time of the announcement, Guard Corps officials had begun preparations a week earlier and told their forces, who were complaining about the lack of time to prepare, to “just be ready for confrontation.”
According to witness number 600, protesters during the protests had no weapons, not even cold weapons, and only chanted slogans.
He also added that as the situation worsened for the system on the second and third days of protests and even with the possibility of taking over state media, they were asked to do whatever they could to suppress the protesters.
This witness then named the “Saberin” and “Imam Ali” units as units for suppressing protesters and said that on the third day, the Basij was authorized to use military weapons.
He added that “given this authorization to the lowest military rank in a country, certainly higher ranks would have been given permission to use more equipment.”
He later referred to this center as a “terrifying” organization that only answers to the leader of the Islamic Republic.
This former senior Guard Corps member explained that special units that entered areas with armed confrontations, such as Mahshahr, Shush Danial, and other parts of Khuzestan, Karaj, Mashhad, and so on, have authorities like “5,000 Guard Corps intelligence,” meaning they are authorized to do anything and other forces must obey them.
This witness explained that members of this special unit undergo severe ideological training and even their “recreational camps” are in war-torn Syria and Lebanon, and they are trained with heavy physical exercises for “a final reckoning.”
Witness 600 said that where other forces are unable to control the situation, special units, including the “Saberin unit” and “Imam Ali unit,” are deployed as the “trump card of the system” and any killings they carry out would be without anyone being accountable.
Witness number 600 named three provinces—Lorestan, Khuzestan, and Alborz—as three regions with the most confrontations and deaths, adding that Alborz is a “weak point of the system” and it has been sought to make a special decision about Alborz province later.
Maryam Foumeni, a researcher for the prosecution of the November International People’s Court, in an exclusive interview with Radio Farda explained that a thorough investigation was conducted on this former senior Guard Corps member and verification was carried out, after which he was introduced to the people’s court as witness number 600.
“Vahid Haghanian”
This witness also named a person named Khalafi who holds the position of ceremonies director of the leader’s office, as well as Vahid Haghanian, deputy of “special affairs” of the leader’s office, as the main perpetrators of the suppression of November 2019 protests, saying that Haghanian is the first person after Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, to relay orders to Guard Corps commanders, and these two told Guard Corps commanders to “wrap this up.”
Witness number 600 later called Vahid Haghanian “Khamenei in the shadows” and said that he is very close to the leader of the Islamic Republic and even checks the text of his speeches.
He also spoke about the extent of Vahid Haghanian’s power and influence, saying that all army and Guard Corps commanders are extremely afraid of him. He has extensive and unlimited authority and has dismissed commanders who requested milder treatment.
This witness reported the detention of approximately 7 to 8 thousand people in Tehran and said that on the second day of protests, 427 people were killed in Khuzestan and 417 in Tehran.
He named the “Five Thousand” detention facility as a facility for holding dual nationals and those intended to be tortured, saying that this facility is controlled by Guard Corps intelligence and anything is done to people there without regard for law.
“Widespread Dissatisfaction Within Guard Corps and Intelligence Ministry”
This former senior Guard Corps member said that there are individuals within the Guard Corps and these units who “enjoy and love these killings and torture and believe firmly in them, and believe me they subject their own families to torture pressure.”
However, he added that the majority of members of the intelligence ministry body and Guard Corps intelligence personnel “are dissatisfied and if international organizations put pressure to hold a referendum in Iran, not even one percent would vote for the system.”
Witness 600 added that “with the spider web of Guard Corps intelligence that exists in organizations, no one dares criticize the system’s actions. If someone objects, it creates many problems for themselves and their family.”
He said his intelligence-related friends express dissatisfaction with the Islamic Republic government in private gatherings.
Witness 418: “Security Personnel Were Looking for Rope for Their Hangings”
During the continuation of the third session of the second round of the November court on Sunday, witness number 418, who identified himself as a member of the police force, also said that from 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 15, the police force entered a state of full alert, and forces were asked to play the role of the “second combat” organization, an organization that enters during crises.
This witness then reported thousands of bullets fired on that day, but said that NAJA had no shooting orders and fired warning shots to intimidate people, and only the Basij and Guard Corps were authorized to fire.
Witness number 418 also, noting that NAJA’s organizational weapon is the Kalashnikov, said that the bullets found were unidentifiable.
According to this witness, on the first day of protests in the city where he was stationed, at least 15 people were killed by plainclothes Basij and Guard Corps forces.
This witness then, referring to the high number of those detained, said that Guard Corps forces were forced to hand over about 50 people to them, all of whom were handcuffed and blindfolded. This was while some of the detainees said they had not been in the streets during the crowded hours and security personnel were searching for rope for their executions.
Witnesses 422 and 427
During the continuation of the third session of the second round of the November court, two sisters numbered 422 and 427 testified about the situation of protests in Sanandaj.
According to witness number 427, on the second day, their nephew, who was under 18 years old, was detained, and they who were looking for him were witnesses to tear gas being thrown by security forces into narrow alleys.
He also reported the simultaneous presence of hundreds of motorcycles on the street, throwing of tear gas, and the sound of gunfire in the city of Sanandaj, during which he fled to a citizen’s house, and after returning home, noticed a bullet wound.
Pressure from Security Forces During Handing Over Bodies of the Deceased
During the court proceedings, witness number 499, a man from Sanandaj, spoke of the destruction of people’s property by security forces, including breaking car and shop windows, and called people’s demonstrations “peaceful.”
He added that during the November crackdown, the Islamic Republic’s security forces, including Basij and Guard Corps, even targeted elderly people and children with direct gunfire.
He also spoke of the detention of one of his friends named “Kaveh Vosani,” whose family found his body near one of the villages in the area after 18 days.
According to witness 499, security forces had asked Kaveh Vosani’s family to attribute their son’s death to “opposition Kurdish parties to the Islamic Republic” including Komala and the Democratic Party, but they refused. He added that Kaveh Vosani had one child and his wife was also pregnant at the time of his detention.
Verification of Court Witnesses
Maryam Foumeni, a researcher for the prosecution of the November International People’s Court, explained to Radio Farda regarding the sources of these statistics and reports that these sources include “one of the senior Guard Corps commanders in Tehran,” “one of the Guard Corps senior-ranking commanders,” several “police and Basij forces” and “three former seminarians.”
Maryam Foumeni said that one of the senior Guard Corps commanders in Tehran contacted her yesterday to testify and they quickly conducted a detailed interview to hear his testimony and asked him to send his documents for verification, and until before the court we were engaged in verifying his statements, and this verification was conducted with the same protocols we have for other witnesses, and he presented his testimony today.”
Ms. Foumeni added that another senior Guard Corps commander has contacted researchers of this court who has shocking information, and researchers have succeeded in verifying some of this information, which will be presented in court.
The prosecution researcher of the November International People’s Court then explained that “throughout both rounds of the court, we had 12 members of police and Basij forces who contacted the prosecution unit and wanted to present their testimony. In the first round, we had two of these individuals in court, both of whom were from the police force. In the second court, we had one yesterday who was a member of the Imam Ali battalion and one today who was witness number 600 and a senior Guard Corps commander. We will have another police officer today and may have one other witness from those 12 today.”
Since the beginning of the second round of proceedings of the November International People’s Court, over 40 new witnesses have contacted the prosecution via WhatsApp and requested to present testimony, several of whom are Guard Corps, police, and Basij officials and personnel.
Source: Radio Farda
