Iran: Official delineates serial murder case

Text of report in English by Iranian newspaper Iran Daily web site on 4 February

Tehran, 3 February: Head of the Armed Forces Judicial Organization (AFJO), Mohammad Niyazi, on Sunday [3 February] responded to Majlis Speaker Mehdi Karrubi's comments on the suicide of Sa'id Emami, the prime suspect in the 1998 serial murders, and the interrogation of other suspects in the case.

Karrubi had recently said that officials should beware that Shahram Jazayeri, the main suspect in the ongoing economic corruption case, is not taken to the bathroom and given the same hair-removing powder that Emami had reportedly consumed to commit suicide.

Niyazi responded by saying: "Is it not true that in your remarks you implicitly accused a certain group of murdering Emami? Do you really have any piece of evidence for your claim? If you do, then why haven't you made them available to the related officials so far? And if you don't, why do you accuse others of murder?"

The AFJO chief then clarified that after the prison's officials realized that Emami had committed suicide, they immediately took him to Loqman Hospital, a specialized institution affiliated to the Health Ministry.

"However, the team of physician's efforts did not produce any result and Emami died after three days. He did not die immediately as you had mentioned in your comments," he said.

Addressing the Majlis speaker, Niyazi said: "You had also warned that the related officials should clarify whether the film made on the interrogation of the suspects in the case of serial murders is real of fake and whether those who were tortured were Baha'is or not. I must say that the people you have referred to can be classified into two groups. Firstly, suspects in the case of serial murders who are currently free and secondly, the interrogation team, which has been accused of torturing the suspects and insulting them, is also free at the moment... The case has been assigned to the court which, in the near future, will issue its verdict."

The head of the judicial organization noted that what has become a source of concern for you and other sympathisers of the Islamic Revolution is the issue of the video film.

"The three-hour film, which you mentioned, has been made from bits and pieces of 300 hours of interrogation. It is, indeed, strange that foreigners have found access to this film which contains classified information," he said.

Stating that the perpetrators of this act of betrayal have been identified, Niyazi said: "You can follow up the details of the case via legal channels".