THURSDAY, 02 JUNE 2011
HRANA News Agency – In an interview with the opposition website JARAS, Fereydoun Sahabi, the brother of Ezzatollah Sahabi and the uncle of Haleh Sahabi, described what events took place at his brother’s funeral and how his niece was martyred.
Fereydoun Sahabi expressly emphasized that Haleh Sahabi’s death was due to a heart attack caused by the tension created during the funeral and as the result of the security forces attacking and beating the crowd. Fereydoun Sahabi who personally witnessed the events reported that a large number of plainclothes and security agents assaulted the mourners and beat people. He also stated that thirty individuals accompanying the deceased Ezzatollah Sahabi’s lifeless body were arrested.
The full text of Fereydoun Sahabi’s interview with JARAS is as follows:
What was the exact cause of Haleh Sahabi’s death?
The cause of death is the blow to her stomach and chest and heart attack.
The state media claims that no attack or beating took place. What did you see in the funeral?
Attacks and beatings took place with utmost rigor in full brutality, callousness and cowardliness. Then, they took her to hospital.
Who took her to the hospital?
Dr. Payman was with Haleh. It appears that he has been detained, but I don’t know for sure.
How did it happen?
You can’t imagine what happened. Perhaps they arrested around thirty people. The security forces, plainclothes agents and intelligence officers attacked and beat people. When they attacked, an officer struck her. Then Ms. Haleh fell to the ground.
Did one of the police officers beat her or a plainclothes agent?
An individual with the security forces did it; he has been fully identified. He beat Ms. Haleh, and in pictures taken, it is shown.
Did people take pictures?
People did take pictures of the scene when one of the intelligence agents severely beat her such that when she fell to the ground, she didn’t get up again. Of course, there were a few other ladies accompanying Ms. Haleh. They were beaten too and are currently in their homes suffering.
How many individuals were arrested?
About thirty people were arrested. All of them were detained during the attack while they were being beaten violently.
Mr. Sahabi, what was the reason for the attack by the security forces? The funeral began an hour earlier according to their request. Why did they attack?
I am ashamed to answer your question. Poor Haleh was holding a picture of her father tight to her chest.One of the security agents took the picture from her and tore it. Then he began to throw punches and kicks at her chest and sides. At that time, Haleh fell to the ground and didn’t get up any more.
Did the security forces demand for the funeral to start an hour earlier?
They were there themselves. We were busy with the last ceremonial wash for which they accompanied us. At 7:30am, we finished what we were doing and came out. It wasn’t even 8:00am when we came out.
After the attack, what did they do with the deceased Sahabi’s corpse?
The situation was extremely obscene. In front of the family’s eyes and everyone else, they throw his lifeless body into the back a pickup truck. This is how they treated him, and we don’t know what they did afterwards when we were absent. They didn’t allow us to say the last prayers. Last prayers weren’t performed at all. They didn’t permit us to go to the cemetery either. Mr. Montazeri was supposed to perform the last prayers but wasn’t allowed to do so. Nothing was permitted not even the last prayers.They treated everyone violently and savagely. For example, there was a lady who was sobbing uncontrollably. They beat my own sister so badly that she was throwing into the bushes alongside the alley. With fists and kicks, they came at people. Not one person at a time. Ten agents attacked a single person and assaulted him at once.
Under such circumstances, no one’s life could be spared easily. Everything happened so fast that everyone was stunned.
Did they use any special weapons such as brass knuckles or batons?
When ten people gang up and attack one person, there is no need for brass knuckles. It is sufficient for each one of them to lift a finger so that the victim is finished. The number of agents present far exceeded the number of the attendees. Each mourner was being watched by three agents.
Didn’t the police interfere to calm down and control the situation?
The security forces together with the police and plainclothes agents were the ones attacking the crowd.The police had a hand in it too and participated in the beating.
How many people were there in the crowd?
The funeral was crowded although people were prevented from attending. A group of people wanted to go inside the cemetery, but the doors were closed. People were being beaten and watched so that no one could enter.
Were the mourners chanting any slogans during the ceremony?
As God is my witness, only chants of hailing the Prophet and the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God were uttered. No political slogans were shouted. Not even one word. I pray that those who were present will clarify exactly what happened.
Tabnak and Raja websites have reported that suspicious elements were present and have claimed that Ms. Haleh died of a heart attack.
The police force was involved in attacking people. Those who saw how Haleh was beaten stated that a police officer did it; others said that an intelligence agent was responsible. I am fifty years old but have never seen such bloody clashes. I have neither been involved in politics nor like my brother (Ezzatollah Sahabi) were in the middle of things. However, I lived during the time when SAVAK operated and also at the present time. I have never witnessed such as thing. I have not seen this type of attack, beating and clash.