Sattar Beheshti’s Mother: All Efforts Focused on Protecting Murderer

Sattar Beheshti’s mother told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that the indictment issued for her son’s prison death case for “quasi-intentional murder” was unexpected. “We’re really disappointed with the indictment. Up until the time the indictment was issued, every time we saw Mr. Shahriari, the case’s Investigative Judge, in the meetings he spoke of Sattar’s murder, and he always told us, ‘You must forgive Sattar’s murderer, as [Imam] Ali did.’ He said [the murderer] is also a young man with a family. But, how is it now that an indictment for ‘quasi-intentional murder’ has been issued, I don’t know. All their efforts are focused on the murderer, who is an interrogator, not to be punished,” Gohar Eshghi said.

The first court session for Sattar Beheshti’s murder will be held on October 27. The indictment by Branch 1057 of Tehran penal court is for “quasi-intentional murder,” which has met with the lawyer and the Beheshti family’s objection. Giti Pourfazel, who represents the Beheshti family, has objected to the indictment, but the judge responded that all issues will be reviewed during the trial. Throughout the past year, both the lawyer and the mother of Sattar Beheshti have said several times in their interviews that the murderer of Sattar Beheshti was presented to them and he even asked for forgiveness.

Sattar Beheshti, 35, a laborer and blogger, was arrested on October 30, 2012, by Iran’s Cyber Police and died under torture by his interrogator on November 3, 2012. His body was buried at Robat Karim Cemetery near where he lived.

“The day the showed me Sattar’s murderer, I was at the Investigative Judge’s office along with my daughter and our lawyer. They brought four people in and then three of them, who [were accused of] “negligence while on duty,” left the room and one person remained in the room. We only learned his name a few days ago. They said that he is the main culprit and Sattar’s murderer. I asked him how my Sattar had died. He said ‘Sattar made fun of me and I beat him. He kept making fun of me and I kept beating him until he died.’ He swore on Imam Ali, begging me to forgive him. I don’t know how all of a sudden now the indictment has changed to quasi-intentional murder,” Gohar Eshghi told the Campaign. “My son’s murderer’s name is Akbar Taghizadeh,” she added.

About her request of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Gohar Eshghi said, “I don’t want diyeh [blood money]. My only request is that a public and fair trial be held for Sattar’s murder. I lost my Sattar, but I don’t want another Sattar to lose his life and for another family to become mournful. We endured all the threats and pressure for about year, so that a fair trial could be held, but now we are worried that this case may be closed any moment. It appears they are doing their best to keep the murderer from being punished.”

In an article published November 9, 2012, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran interviewed a source close the Beheshti family who had seen his body before burial. “There was a large dent on his head and they had put plaster over his head. His face was swollen. As soon as they untied his shroud, blood splattered on the shroud from the side of his right knee and his shroud became completely bloody. There were signs of an autopsy on his body, as well,” the source told the Campaign.

After news of Sattar Beheshti’s death was published, 41 Evin Prison political prisoners published a letter on Kaleme website and stated that Sattar Beheshti had been held at Evin Prison’s Ward 350 on October 31 and November 1, 2012, and that signs of torture could be seen all over different parts of his body.