Kokab Hatami and Her Revolutionary Activities

Compiled by: Islamic Revolution Website
Translated by: Fazel Shirzad

2023-11-30

Note: Through the advice of my teacher, I was engaged in charge of the high school library and I spent hours there after the classes were over. One day, I met a girl named Fateme Seyedi, and after a few conversations, I realized that I have a lot in common with her intellectually. In the following days, she would bring me handwritten pamphlets, which had a lot of information about the oppression of the people. That night I read it with great enthusiasm and put it in an envelope inside the trash bin. Perhaps I need to explain that the garbage can of the oil company houses was lowered through a hatch with a rope, emptied and returned to the kitchen of the residential unit. After the bucket went down, they were supposed to pick up the envelope and take it away. For some time, I received more or less correspondence in this way, until I opened my eyes to their meetings and there and during the conversations that took place, I got to know the character of Imam Khomeini and his lofty goals. If there was any doubt in my heart until that day, after hearing the Imam's name, it never happened again. I should have been more determined. After that, at 10 o'clock every night, a night letter with the signature of "Movahed" would reach me in the trash can.

During these days, Ms. Hatami continued her studies in the field of nursing and was employed at the oil company hospital. She passed the exams with a good score and was accepted, but at the same time, a contact contacted her and requested to join army to advance the Islamic goals of the group.

"The army was planning to set up an organization in the same area and had announced the need to recruit both men and women. I left nursing school and got ready to enter the army and registered. In the first stage, I was prevented from entering because of my activities in high school, such as an article I wrote against the Shah's regime, which was leaked by one of my classmates, whose father was the member of SAVAK. But not long ago, when the imperial inspectors entered the Suleiman Mosque, a letter was written by me expressing my regret for my past actions and my loyalty to the king and the royal regime. With this letter, I again requested to enter the army, and fortunately, after twenty days, I received a positive answer, and of course, this work was subject to passing the entrance exams. They took the exam in Abbas Abad barracks in Tehran and I passed.

The task assigned to me by the group in the army was to extract information, report the internal situation of the building and movements, recruit members and report how the officers deal with and communicate with the native girls who have been recruited by the army.

She endured seven months among strangers, those who were at the opposite end of her beliefs and inclinations, seven months among the enemy, and conveyed what was necessary to ger friends. She tried seven months to realize the goals of her Muslim friends and believers... But finally, her character and behavior, which was fundamentally different from others, created doubts about him, until...

I felt that they were suspicious of me. It was natural that my behavior and sensitivities were different from others. I was sure they were following me. I called Mrs. Seyedi and asked them to provide me with the means of escape. My request was accepted and we agreed that they would give me a sum of money in front of the city cinema and arrange my escape, but...

I had a bad feeling, a kind of feeling of insecurity, there was no choice, I had to go and do the job completely. It was not possible to return to the army, because I was sure that I would be arrested. At the appointment, when I got ready to come to my senses, a car quickly braked in front of my feet, two men got out and sternly said: get in. I didn't bring it to myself first, I said: What do you want? Of course, I had a little doubt that they were SAVAK officers, maybe I was comforting myself that they were a nuisance and would leave now. But when one of them grabbed my shoulder muscle with his hand and the pain spread throughout my body, I knew it was over...

A cold sweat broke out on her body. The horror of facing SAVAK's tortures, the fear of the group being exposed, the worry for her family, her parents, etc., were a heavy burden for her, who was about 18 years old...

I was in a detention center in Ahvaz for the first three days. I was beaten, I was afraid. I had not received training in this field, and in order not to reveal the truth, I said something before every interrogation. This made them realize that I was lying and increase the intensity of the harassment.

After that, I was transferred to Tehran, to a place that was known as prison at that time. In Tehran, the situation of persecution was much worse. We were told before that if you went to three prisons, there would be no going back. One in Adel Abad Shiraz prison, another in Khorram Abad Flak Ala Aflak prison and anther one in the prison where I was here.

The first months I was put in solitary confinement. What happened to me now fades in front of us and is nothing more than dust. I only know that it was very difficult and they started injecting amnesia shots from there. These drugs caused me to spend a long time in complete oblivion and not even recognize myself and my family... They were called oral ampoules. The back of our head would swell and they would inject morphine at the same time. As long as the head was swollen, they didn't do anything, and as soon as the swelling went down, they injected another ampoule. Its effects were a kind of confusion with forgetfulness.

Source: Ibtahaj Shirazi, Fariba, From the epic saga, Tehran: Secretariat of the Congress of Women's Role in Defense and Security, 1997, pp. 20-23.