To the President of the highest judicial authority
Ayatollah Shahroudi
In the view of the fact that the ongoing efforts of my family’s lawyers to get their hands on information regarding the investigation into the murder of my parents, Dariush and Parvaneh Forouhar, has encountered silence from those responsible, which has thus protracted matters and generated no results, I, Parastou Forouhar, flew from Germany to Tehran on the 17th of April 2000 in order to initiate contact with the relevant officials for the investigation file upon my arrival. I would like to give you a brief report about my experiences during my time in Iran.
Following a telephone conversation with the Tehran Service Prosecuting Authority Office, I presented myself at the offices of the Public Prosecutor, whose name was given to us as the utmost responsible authority, during their public visiting hours on Wednesday.
The office manager of the Public Prosecutor’s Office reported that the file had apparently been sent to another office and that he would disclose no information whatsoever pertaining to the reasons and circumstances of the transferral. He therefore saw no reason to have a conversation with me. I was then informed that I should take myself to the court offices of Mr Marvi, the Vice-President of the highest judicial authority, in order to get my explanation. I called up the offices of Mr Marvi. After many unsuccessful attempts, I was eventually told on the 20th of April 2000 that the file apparently wasn’t with his office and that the file had supposedly never been sent there in the first place. I was advised to track down a certain Judge Ahmadi, whose name had also appeared amongst rumours in the newspapers and was one of the judges of the Islamic Revolutionary Court.
An answered call to the Public Prosecution Offices of the Revolutionary Court told me that there were apparently many judges with the name Ahmadi and that I would have to make an appearance in person. In this meeting, at which I had to be present, I was told that Judge Ahmadi, who had supposedly been in charge of the political murder cases in the autumn of 1998, would carry out his duty once the file had been submitted to him by the Justice Authorities of the Military Forces. I rang up the Justice offices and was told that Mr Ahmadi was apparently not engaged at those offices.
I was advised again to go to Mr Marvi’s court offices to get information about the file. I rang up Mr Marvi’s office once more. I was told that I should call the office of the Chair of the Military Forces’ Justice Authority, Mr Niazi, as Mr Ahamdi would handle the file of my parents’ murder under his authority.
In a telephone conversation with the offices of the Military Forces’ Justice Authority, I was told that the office of the Special Committee, that in this case was conducting the investigation under the direction of Mr Marvi, was apparently not to be found at the Justice Authority of the Military Forces and that they, the Justice Authority, had no way of putting me in contact with the committee, nor could they give me any information pertaining to the location of the file. I was advised once again to go to Mr Marvi’s office. After many attempts to call Mr Marvi’s office, I was told today, on Sunday the 23rd of April 2000, that I should get in touch with the office of the President of the Judiciary.
Dear Mr President,
I am writing you this letter from my parents’ house – the house that has become the site of their murder. Next to the table, upon which I am writing you this report, is my father’s chair. This is the very chair that pointed my father towards Mecca along with his heart, a heart that unfailingly beat for Iran and the Iranian people, that was torn apart at the age of 70 by repeated stab wounds. His blood has dried on the carpet and the stains have gone pale. The echoes of my parent’s pained screams have filled the whole house and reverberate in my sorrowful heart.
Dear Mr President,
In the holy name of justice, whose realisation in this country lies in your hands, I urge you to put a stop to these unfair methods. I plead you to give me the names of those responsible for the murder of my parents and to put me on the right track in this investigation.
Yours sincerely,
Parastou Forouhar, Teheran, 23.04.2000
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