Memoirs of Marzieh Hadidchi (Part 10)

2017-9-26

Memoirs of Marzieh Hadidchi (Dabbagh)

Edited by: Mohsen Kazemi

Tehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company

‎2002 (Persian Version)‎

Translated by: Zahra Hosseinian

Martyrdom of Ayatollah Saeedi

Later on, I realized that one of the two houses in Qom where we received leaflets from by order of Ayatollah Saeedi, belonged to the other to Ayatollah Montazeri and Ayatollah Rabbani Shirazi. The distribution of leaflets was in certain ways. Three nights a week, we went to Shemiranat and the north of the city, and three nights to the south of the city. We left the leaflets either under the windshield wiper or somehow dropped them into houses. Also, we posted them to the addresses of centers, institutes, offices, etc. which we had found in directory. During 1967-1970, our major activities were in the form of discussions, studying, distribution of leaflets, and so on.

A number of American capitalists came to Iran in May 1970 for Participating in an economic conference and investment consortium[1]. In opposing to this colonialist presence, Ayatollah Saeedi delivered a speech and issued some leaflets. He was pioneer in this movement and we were waiting for the reaction of the regime.

It was June and we were being trained in Shahid Saeedi's house, when the phone rang. He picked up the phone. I do not know what he heard from the other side of line, but he flushed and sadly hung up. He drew aside the corner of a blanket, took a piece of paper which was hidden underneath, tore, and swallowed it. We found out that a terrible incident is oncoming. He fell silent and after contemplating, looked at the tapes which were on the niche. "Is there anyone willing to take these tapes and duplicate them?" he asked. I moved forward my bag and he collected the tapes and dropped them in the bag.

When I entered the courtyard and I was going to go out SAVAK officers arrived. They were looking for Ayatollah Saeedi. I quickly returned to the house. While the agents were searching for the house, I, by the help of probably the older son of Shahid Saeedi [named "Seyyed Mohammad"] put tapes and leaflets into a little sack and threw it behind the wall of house where was a barren land. When we were getting out of the house, the agents ransacked the bags of all of us; but there was nothing in my bag to be seized. We left the house and after a while they took Ayatollah Saeedi with them.

After leaving the house, I rushed to the shop of Ali Bahaari[2], who accompanied us in fighting, and I told him the event. He was familiar with the principles of secretion, so I explained the matter of the leaflets and tapes and their hiding place, in order to transfer them to another place as soon as possible.

Bahaari was very clever. He went to that place with a motorcycle and checked the place while riding, and then returned. In the afternoon, he went back there and brought the sack to our house. I also hid it on the roof of the house of my sister's neighbor who was a friend of mine. In a time when they weren’t home I took it to the basement of their house. Again, when my paternal family traveled to Hamedan I took it to my father's house and wrapped it up with nylon and buried it in their flowerbed.

There was no news from Ayatollah Saeedi. Although his friends and family went to jail looking for him, they did not get any results. Until his older son suddenly announced his father's martyrdom after eleven days on [June 11]. Like his gracious Mother, Hazrat Fatimah (SA), the holy body of this dear Shahid was buried at night in Wadi al-Salam cemetery of Qom.

The news of martyrdom of Ayatollah Saeedi[3] created a big commotion among people. Widespread protests and demonstrations were raised in Qom. "Search and see what was the matter."[4] Imam Khomeini said when he heard the news. We were so sorrowful that we did not know what to do, but we were sure that they had tortured him severely and martyrized him.