74th Session of Hamid Nouri's Trial; Witness: The Accused is "Exactly Himself"

The 74th trial session of Hamid Nouri, accused of participating in the execution of political prisoners in the summer of 2018 in Gohardasht Prison, was held on Tuesday, March 14, 2021, in Stockholm, Sweden, with the testimony of Nader Haddadi Moghadam.

Nader Haddadi Moghadam was arrested in early May 1985 for his membership in the Iranian People's Revolutionary Guards Organization, a minority branch, along with Mahmoud Mahmoudi. Shahed was transferred to the Joint Committee or "Three Thousand" and spent two months in the initial stage of interrogation there. Shahed was then transferred to Evin Prison and spent five months in solitary confinement.

Nader Haddadi Moghadam was later sentenced to ten years in prison. He was transferred from Evin Prison to Gohardasht Prison in Bahman 1987. At the time of the executions, he was held in Ward 14 of Gohardasht Prison with 74 to 76 other people, who were generally serving sentences of 10 to 15 years. The witness's observations of the days of the executions date back to August 27, and he heard the Friday prayer sermons of Tehran by Hashemi Rafsanjani, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran.

The witness said that the prisoners were shocked and noticed the beginning of a change in conditions in the prison after hearing Rafsanjani's harsh words about the armed operations of the People's Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization in the west of the country and harsh slogans such as "Armed hypocrites, imprisoned hypocrites must be executed" from participants in Friday prayers.

Nader Haddadi Moghadam said that newspaper distribution in the prison was stopped and news of the “execution” or “deportation” of two hundred Evin prisoners was spread among the prisoners – generally via Morse code. The serious news of “the presence of a delegation consisting of mullahs and the news of the executions” was heard on September 27th through prisoners who trusted me. Prisoners were taken from neighboring wards to be executed.

Nader Haddadi Moghadam said that, as he had said during police interrogations, he knew Abbasi in prison as an assistant prosecutor or deputy prosecutor. The defendant's defense attorney questioned the witness's statement. Nouri's lawyer claimed that in the text of the interrogation before the Swedish police, the witness had nowhere mentioned the defendant's role as an assistant prosecutor or deputy prosecutor. The witness denied this claim and, while explaining his interrogation, emphasized that his statements during interrogation and testimony were the same. It is worth noting that the prosecutor had previously read a short section of the witness's interrogation by the Swedish police in the courtroom.

Nader Haddadi Moghadam testified that Naserian, Lashkari, and Abbasi, along with a number of IRGC officers, entered their cell on September 28, 1988, and then blindfolded them to the meeting room on the ground floor of Gohardasht Prison. The witness appeared before the death squad that same day, including Ishraqi, Nayiri, and Pourmohammadi. The witness was saved from execution by Ishraqi’s mediation and insistence that his parents were Muslims and that he himself would pray.

Nader Haddadi Moghadam testified that after leaving the death squad room, he witnessed the IRGC coming and going and dividing the prisoners. He said that after leaving the death squad room, the prisoners were divided and directed to the left or right side of the hall.

After the executions, Nader Haddadi Moghadam, along with other rescued prisoners, filled out forms and stood in front of someone blindfolded. The prisoners later told him that this person was “Abassi” (Hamid Nouri). Nader Haddadi Moghadam was transferred to Evin Prison at the end of the executions and was released in March 2018 along with another group of prisoners.

In court today, Nader Haddadi Moghadam answered in the negative when asked by the defendant's defense lawyers whether he was interviewed before his release. Nader Haddadi Moghadam has played a very active role in recording the events and executions of the 1960s for many years. He has been collaborating with the "Prison Dialogues" project since 2018. He has participated in many conferences, given many speeches, and written articles about the events in the prison. When asked by the lawyer whether he had mentioned his client Hamid Nouri in all these years, the witness replied that he did not remember. Mahmoud Khalili and Mohammad Izadjo, two other witnesses in this court, are also collaborating with the "Prison Dialogues" project. They are also prisoners who survived the executions in the summer of 2018 in Gohardasht Prison.

Nader Haddadi Moghadam handed over documents, including the "Black Book," to the Swedish police during his interrogation. This book is one of the written documents in the prosecutor's indictment in the Hamid Nouri case. The witness collaborated in compiling this book.

Nader Haddadi Moghadam testified that he recognized the defendant as soon as he saw his photo and heard the news of his arrest. He said he also recognized him as soon as he entered the courtroom. The witness said, “It’s exactly him.”

The next court hearing will be held on Thursday, March 16, in Stockholm, Sweden.

Source: Voice of America