Hamid Nouri's 56th trial session; witness says he was asked to pray because he was Armenian

The 56th trial session of Hamid Nouri, accused of participating in the executions of the summer of 2018, was held on Wednesday, January 1, 1402, in Stockholm, Sweden, with the testimony of Mehrdad Neshat Malkiyans.

Mehrdad Neshat Malkiyans was arrested in October 1982 at the age of 22, along with his wife, both of whom were supporters of the People's-Minority Guerrilla Organization, and their 15-day-old baby boy, and transferred to Evin. The witness, who was born to an Armenian father named Hamlet and a Muslim mother, faced severe interrogation and torture during a year of detention.

Shahed’s trial was held a year later in Evin Prison. Ali Razini, the then-president of the court there, told him that as an Armenian, he had no right to marry a Muslim woman and that their child was illegitimate. Shahed received a sentence of five years in prison a month later – not counting the days of detention. He was later transferred to Qezl-e-Hazar Prison and, in late autumn 2016, to Gohardasht Prison.

The witness learned that since the spring of 2018, the prisoners of the People's Mojahedin Organization (MEK) were separated in Gohardasht Prison. The coming and going of prison officials and people in clerical attire was evident inside the prison. The prisoners' parents were not allowed to enter or visit, and the last visits took place in "glass rooms" before the executions began.

When the executions began, the witness was held in Ward 8 with a group of leftist prisoners. The witness named September 28, 1988, as the day the executions of leftists began in Gohardasht. He said that on that day, a number of people were taken from Ward 7 and four from Ward 8. Of the four, only one returned to Ward 8 and reported the presence of a delegation in the prison. On September 27, the witness heard from the ward above him – Ward 7 – phrases such as “Write your will” and “This is the end.”

On the same day, the witness was led by the Lashkarians to the corridor of the prison with a group of 6-7 leftist prisoners. Jahanbakhsh Sarkhosh, a supporter of the minority Fedayeen, was led to the death squad room before him. Sarkhosh insisted on his position there and was later executed. After Jahanbakhsh Sarkhosh, the witness was confronted by Ishraqi and Nairi. Nairi told him that as an Armenian who had grown up in a Muslim mother’s family, he had to pray. The witness finally signed a piece of paper – without knowing the details – and was led out of the room. A few minutes later Ishraqi came out of the room. Nairi asked him where Haj Agha was going. Ishraqi replied: “Let’s go beat these and come back.” The witness said that day that he did not think that Ishraqi meant by the word “beat” to execute. The witness went on to explain to the court how, after enduring the severe beatings in Kabul on the 7th of Shahrivar, he agreed to pray.

The witness, along with several leftist prisoners, was confronted by Hamid Nouri, who was introduced to them as “Brother Abbasi,” in the prosecutor’s office on September 8. That day, the witness signed papers for the second time regarding the prosecutor’s office, the end of his sentence, the condemnation of his organization, and the consent to an interview. The witness claimed in today’s hearing that he answered “no” to all questions there.

Neshat Malkiyans also testified that the executions ended with the removal of the Evin children and the "national killers" on September 11.

The witness confirmed the identities and executions of prisoners such as Mohammad Ali Behkish, Hossein Haj Mohsen, Adel Talebi, Bijan Bazargan, Mahmoud Ghazi, Keyvan Mostafavi, Abbas Raisi, Mostafa Farhadi, Homayoun Azadi, Majid Walid, and Behzad Omrani. He referred to them as “real people” whom the prisoners knew and had contact with, and who were no longer present after the executions.

Mehrdad Neshat Malekians was transferred to Evin Prison in October or late September 2018 and spent a month in solitary confinement at the sanatorium. Shahed was released in February after recovering from the effects of the Kabul attack on his legs and having served six years in prison.

At the end of the hearing, Judge Thomas Sander addressed the request of some experts, specifically Kaveh Mousavi, to attend the trial in absentia. Ultimately, it was decided that, at the request and preference of the prosecutors, the plaintiffs' lawyers, and Hamid Nouri's lawyers, the individual in question, and the other experts would all attend the trial in person.

The next hearing of Hamid Nouri's trial will resume after the Christmas and New Year holidays, on January 10, 2022.

Source: Voice of America