With the election of Hassan Rouhani as Iran’s new
president, the international debate about reaching out to the “moderates”
inside the Iranian regime has been reignited. But before we get overly excited
at the prospect of a kinder, gentler breed of mullah, it’s worth revisiting one
of the most heinous examples of human rights abuse in Iran, a case that
involves a man who carries the honorific Shi’a Muslim title of “ayatollah.”
Over the last fortnight, the various Iranian
emigre networks have lit up with renewed calls for the release of Ayatollah
Hossein Bourojerdi. Bourojerdi, who has languished in Tehran’s notorious Evin
prison since 2006, preaches an Islamic doctrine that is utterly at odds with
regime’s outlook, in that he advocates the separation of mosque and state, and
urges religious tolerance.
Boroujerdi is reported
to be in grave physical condition. Among other ailments, he suffers from heart
disease, and his supporters say that he is being denied medication. Even more
disturbingly, Bourojerdi is reported to have undergone a new round of physical
and psychological torture, as regime interrogators try and force him to sign a
letter of repentance. According
to this account, Bourojerdi is said to have spoken with his family by
telephone after one such encounter, telling them “that he does not regret any
of his actions and stands by his word, as he is prepared to die.”
Throughout his seven years in prison, Bourojerdi
has become adept at smuggling messages to the outside world. The latest bout of
regime fury was apparently provoked by his call, issued at the end of May, for
Iranians to boycott the elections of June 14, which resulted in a Rouhani
victory. A more recent message, issued to mark the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan, won’t exactly mollify the Ayatollah’s enemies; in
it, Bourojerdi speaks of “the regime of cruelty and political religionism,”
and describes “thirty four years of Ramadans” in which Iran’s rulers have
“abused the spiritual convictions of society.”
Such forthright declarations have always been
Bourojerdi’s style, which explains why the mullahs ran out of patience with him
in 2006. In October of that year, Iranian police descended on
Bourojerdi’s house in south Tehran to find that several hundred of the
Ayatollah’s followers had formed a human shield around it. After a series of
bitter clashes, Bourojerdi was finally pried out of his house and placed in
custody. The regime then charged him with claiming to be a descendant of the
Mah’di, a revered figure in Shi’a Islam who first appeared in the ninth
century, and whose “return” is prayed for among followers of the dominant
“Imami” branch of the religion. Bourojerdi has always denied making such a
claim, countering that his only crime is to oppose Iran’s ruling system of velayat
e faqih, whereby Islamic jurists exercise total control over society and
its institutions. Prior to his imprisonment, Bourojerdi encapsulated the
essence of his faith by stating, “Only he (the Mah’di) has the legitimate
competence to rule and pass judgment.”
Throughout his incarceration, reports of
Bourojerdi’s declining health have frequently surfaced. In 2007, he was
reported to have lost
the vision in one of his eyes, and subsequent health bulletins have
mentioned diabetes, kidney stones and malnutrition. Relatives and supporters
have highlighted his ill health in letters to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
and other leading international figures, but Bourojerdi’s plight, outside of
the Iranian diaspora circles that have diligently kept his name alive, remains
a sadly obscure concern.
According to Bourojerdi’s supporters, the
ayatollah received a visit last week from state prosecutor Jafar Ghadiani, who
told him, “We can kill you anytime we want and no one will be the wiser.”
While it’s not possible to verify this actual quote, its substance certainly
comports with the treatment that Bourojerdi has received at the hands of the
ruling ayatollahs. Will President Rouhani boost his “moderate
and pragmatic” credentials by releasing him–or at least appealing to
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to do so? Or is Bourojerdi fated to die in prison?
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