Ali Akbar Saidi Sirjani
Encyclopedia
Ali-Akbar Sa'idi Sirjani ' onMouseout='HidePop("14560")' href="/topics/Sirjan">Sirjan
- d. November 28, 1994) was an Iran
ian writer
, poet
and journalist
who died in prison under mysterious circumstances after having been arrested for openly criticizing the government. He is widely believed to have been killed at the hands of the Islamic Republic intelligence ministry
for criticizing of Iran's Supreme Leader.
who used satirical and allegorical stories to criticize the Islamic Republic for what he saw as its "authoritarianism, religious hypocrisy, and obtrusive meddling in people's personal lives." His first open confrontation with the authorities came following the publication of a book of essays, stories, and parables called You of Shortened Sleeves in 1989. The first printing sold out in days and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance
banned not only the second printing but all other books by Sirjani.
Sirjani then initiated a letter-writing campaign, demanding that a second printing be released. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, then told Sirjani through intermediaries to halt his writings and his protestations. Sirjani refused and "directly assailed the Islamic Republic in an open letter." According to Iranian scholar Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak
, this `letter sealed the author's fate in a way that no previous writing of his ... had done.`
, homosexual activity, contacts with spy networks, and having received money from Western
‘counterrevolutionaries’"witch majatery of Iranian knew at the time this was completely false accusation. A few months later a letter purportedly "written by Sirjani himself admitted to a range of crimes against the state, but even then everyone knew the confession was not written by him. "
His arrest became "a rallying point" for disparate factions of "expatriate Iranian intellectuals, academics," who came together "as never before." Letters of protest were
It is widely believed and there is some evidence that he was killed by Saeed Emami
's "Unleashed" group in the Ministry of Security and Intelligence of Iran. According to journalist Emadeddin Baqi, the method used to kill him was potassium.
Iranian journalist Afshin Molavi
has speculated that Sirjani was killed for crossing "the red line" from "writer and thinker to rebel." While the Islamic Republic would "grudgingly allowed allegorical criticism read by an elite," it took punitive action when the criticism became widely popular, when citizens disobeyed orders to stop protest and finally when they wrote "open letters to newspapers questioning the Supreme Leader."
Sirjan
Sirjan is a city in and the capital of Sirjan County, Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 167,014, in 40,605 families....
- d. November 28, 1994) was an Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who died in prison under mysterious circumstances after having been arrested for openly criticizing the government. He is widely believed to have been killed at the hands of the Islamic Republic intelligence ministry
Ministry of Intelligence (Iran)
The Ministry of Intelligence and National Security of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the secret police and primary intelligence agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran...
for criticizing of Iran's Supreme Leader.
Background
Saidi Sirjani was a disillusioned supporter of the Islamic RevolutionIranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
who used satirical and allegorical stories to criticize the Islamic Republic for what he saw as its "authoritarianism, religious hypocrisy, and obtrusive meddling in people's personal lives." His first open confrontation with the authorities came following the publication of a book of essays, stories, and parables called You of Shortened Sleeves in 1989. The first printing sold out in days and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance
Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance
The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is the ministry of Culture of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is responsible for restricting access to any media of which the Islamic Regime in Tehran does not approve....
banned not only the second printing but all other books by Sirjani.
Sirjani then initiated a letter-writing campaign, demanding that a second printing be released. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, then told Sirjani through intermediaries to halt his writings and his protestations. Sirjani refused and "directly assailed the Islamic Republic in an open letter." According to Iranian scholar Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak
Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak
Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak is a Persian literary figure and Iranist.Ahmad Karimi Hakkak was Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Washington for nineteen years. He is currently a professor and founding director of the Roshan Center for Persian Studies in the School of...
, this `letter sealed the author's fate in a way that no previous writing of his ... had done.`
Arrest
Saidi-Sirjani was arrested on March 14, 1994 (another source says March 13, 1993) and charged with openly criticizing the government, among other things. A spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Security and Intelligence claimed that the arrest was for "drug use, production of alcoholAlcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, homosexual activity, contacts with spy networks, and having received money from Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
‘counterrevolutionaries’"witch majatery of Iranian knew at the time this was completely false accusation. A few months later a letter purportedly "written by Sirjani himself admitted to a range of crimes against the state, but even then everyone knew the confession was not written by him. "
His arrest became "a rallying point" for disparate factions of "expatriate Iranian intellectuals, academics," who came together "as never before." Letters of protest were
dispatched to various political and professional organizations in Europe and the United States. Organizations such as Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, the American PEN, Human Rights Watch, and the Middle East Studies Association, as well as many European associations
of writers
Death
The international human rights campaign failed to secure Saidi-Sirjani's release, however, and he died in custody 8 months after his arrest, reportedly at one of the safe houses of the Intelligence Ministry in Shemiran neighborhood in northern Tehran. Iranian authorities gave the cause of his death as a heart attack, although his daughter, Sayeh Sirjani, said her father had no history of heart ailments. The Sirjani family also had repeatedly denied allegations that he was addicted to drugs. The Government is reported to have "refused to deliver his body to his family or to allow an independent autopsy."It is widely believed and there is some evidence that he was killed by Saeed Emami
Saeed Emami
Saeed Emami was the Iranian deputy minister of intelligence under Ali Fallahian, and an intelligence officer under Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi. The Islamic government accused him of having independently organized the assassinations of dissidents shortly after he allegedly committing...
's "Unleashed" group in the Ministry of Security and Intelligence of Iran. According to journalist Emadeddin Baqi, the method used to kill him was potassium.
One of Saeed EmamiSaeed EmamiSaeed Emami was the Iranian deputy minister of intelligence under Ali Fallahian, and an intelligence officer under Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi. The Islamic government accused him of having independently organized the assassinations of dissidents shortly after he allegedly committing...
's colleagues and one of the last persons arrested, met a known clergyman and MajlisMajlis of IranThe National Consultative Assembly of Iran , also called The Iranian Parliament or People's House, is the national legislative body of Iran...
deputy from TehranTehranTehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
a few months before his arrest and revealed how Saeed Emami had murdered Saeedi Sirjani. He was the only witness present on the scene. Forcing a potassium suppository into the rectum of Saeedi Sirjani which caused a rapid heart attack was the method used by Saeed Emami to kill Saeedi Sirjani in the prison. This revealed the secret of other similar heart attacks.
Iranian journalist Afshin Molavi
Afshin Molavi
Afshin Molavi is an Iranian-American author and expert on global geo-political risk and geo-economics, particularly the Middle East and Asia. He is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, where he is co-director of the World Economy Roundtable, an ambitious exercise to re-map the global...
has speculated that Sirjani was killed for crossing "the red line" from "writer and thinker to rebel." While the Islamic Republic would "grudgingly allowed allegorical criticism read by an elite," it took punitive action when the criticism became widely popular, when citizens disobeyed orders to stop protest and finally when they wrote "open letters to newspapers questioning the Supreme Leader."
External links
Saidi Sirjani Website- A video about Saidi Sirjani, directed by Reza Allamehzadeh (uploaded by Allemehzadeh on YouTube)
- Leading Dissident Writer in Iran Dies After 8 Months in Detention, NY Times
- Iran Human Rights Practices, 1994