Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (58)

Edited by Mohsen Kazemi

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (58)
Edited by Mohsen Kazemi
Soureh Mehr Publishing Company
(Original Text in Persian, 2000)
Translated by Mohammad Karimi

Serial Events

Few days after visiting Taqi Shahram, MKO ordered me to evacuate the team-house in Bouzarjomehri Street and rent a new one where in which Khosrow and Parviz could stay at nights. They were in Sabalan Street team-house. My wife who was skilled in this task could find a good place somewhere near Qiyam (Shah) Square neighboring Imam Sadegh Technical High School. Few days later we could buy some second hand furniture from Fouziyeh (Imam Hussein) Square and take there.
I introduced myself as “Ahmad Akbari” to the householder and I told her that I was a worker in Abyek Cement Factory in Qazvin and I would be there only for one or two nights a week and my wife would be at her parents’ house most of the time. The householder was a widow who had to take of several kids and it was so good for her that we were not staying there so much. The situation of that house was in a way that we were able to run away from the roof and neighboring alleys easily if someone wanted to arrest us.
It is worth mentioning that whenever that house was suspicious to be in danger, I would go to the lamp & light selling shop of Mr. Mohammad Baqer Senoubari in Soleymaniyeh crossroads to hide. If my family had to be with me, we would reside in a room in the late Mr.Eslami in Iran Street. It was interesting that that he had given us the keys because of his trust in me.
In August of 1975 after a series of assassinations in the previous months, SAVAK began seeking and arresting the fighters district to district. First of all SAVAK would surround a district then its agents would search there alley by alley or house by house.
One evening SAVAK surrounded Mowlavi Street to Qiyam Square, near Imam Sadegh Technical School and then Saheb Jam Street and Sar Qabr Agha Shrine. Then they began searching the houses to find the fighters. That day we were in Sabalan team-house by chance and since it was late we did not return to the safe house in Mowlavi Street. The next early morning I woke up by the knock on the door. I watched out and saw Iraj was behind the door. When I opened the door for him, he refreshed his breath and became happy. He asked: “Didn’t you go to Mowlavi Street last night?” I said: “You see! We didn’t.” Then he narrated for us that the night before the entire district had been surrounded by SAVAK and its agents had been in search of guerrillas and fighters house by house. He said: “We were informed late and we could not do anything. We thought you’ve been hurt.”
We were informed at that night SAVAK had upbraided the householder about not leasing her house through real states. Then they would give her a phone number to inform them right after seeing us there again. So, knowing this matter we never went there again. Only it was 15 days later that my wife went there to check the situation. My wife would observe that the householder’s behavior had changed and respected her a lot. Fatima was quite cautious and knew that woman might have had something in mind. The householder would ask her: “Where have you been all these ten to twenty days?” Fatima would answer: “I had quarrel with my husband and now I have come here to check if he had come here or not?” The woman would say: “No! Since you’ve gone, he had not come here either.” Then Fatima would hoax her completely and explain for her that we have had a big fight and not with each other anymore. The woman would bring a cup of tea and then ask Fatima: “While you are drinking your tea, I would go out for some minutes and will be back soon.” Right after she leaves the house Fatima would follow her and see that she was going to a telephone booth in front of the Technical High School. She would find out her reason and leave there at once. Then after, we never went there to take our furniture out.
After that adventure my wife found another house in Gorgan (Namjou) Street in Salman Farsi alley. The householder was a Turk man who had a coffee shop in Mazandaran Street. I introduced Iraj as my brother in law and a student and insisted that he would be with us most of the days. He was simple and kind man and did not even write an agreement with us and accepted what we had orally agreed with about his house. By this agreement he leased us two rooms of his house for 6 thousand Toomans and a monthly payment.
In this safe house Iraj would stay with us some nights. My wife would not come home two or three nights a week and those nights that she was home Iraj was there too to impede any discussion between her and I. MKO worried if I would change her mind. By increasing MKO monitoring on Parviz, Khosrow and me, a disgusting situation had shaped. Despite this condition I would go out during the days pretending that I was going to work, but as a matter of fact I was trying to make contacts with other groups to save myself.
One day Iraj, Parviz and Khosrow went out for some job and Fatima and I were alone. I discussed with her and advised her and even frightened her. She accepted my ideas, but her acceptance was temporarily because whenever she was far away from me she would change and back to her previous ideas.
One day when we were talking the sound of an explosion and some shootings were heard. Few moments later Iraj burst in worriedly and said: “Wake up! A Wolkswagen is exploded and agents have surrounded all over around here and looking for the bombers. We should evacuate at once.” So we gathered documents and the needed things and put them in a briefcase. When we entered the yard, suddenly, somebody knocked.
Before the householder coming, Iraj opened the door. Three armed agents entered. The householder came too. The agents asked: “Who are leaving in this house?” While trying to hide our stress and worry, we looked at the householder and said: “He is the house holder.” While pointing to us, the agents asked him: “Who are they?” The householder answered with a Turkic accent: “They are my relatives.” I entered myself in their dialogue and said: “They are mu family and he is my brother in law.” That agent looked carefully at me from head to toe and then asked: “Where have been going?” I said: “My daughter is sick and we have an appointment with a doctor to visit her.” Just then, householder’s wife and kids came in. They also affirmed what we had said and kindly said: “They are our relatives.” It seemed the agents were in search of one person and since we were several people and householder had mixed their mind up, they were satisfied and asked before going: “Did anyone enter your house?” The House holder answered with the same sweet Turkic accent: “No Sir! Nobody came in.” The agents said: “If somebody came, just inform us.” And then they went. We also came out instantly. The help of householder was really helpful and saved us. However, I wished if Fatima and I could be arrested then later.
In the new conditions MKO eagerly was in chase of my ideology change or omitting my bothering existence. So, one day Iraj called me and said: “One of branch-heads is arrested, but before being arrested he has parked his car in parking and the driver’s door is open now. You should go and bring that car. Later I found out Vahid Afrakhteh had been the arrested person and this request from MKO had a particular meaning. Possibly that parking had been identified and under SAVAK monitoring; it meant MKO wanted to put me in danger of being arrested or killed. This way they would be free of me at least and if I were able to take car, they would reach to their car.
I told Iraj: “Let the car be there for them!” He said: “No. It’s an order.” I said: “Let it be for later days.” He told me in hoax: “It seems that you want to confront the Organization in action either?!” So, I accepted to do this job to show that I was not confronting them.
I went to that district along with Iraj. Few streets before reaching the parking, Iraj gave me the parking receipt and showed me the rest of the way to go and said: “I wait for you here.” I went toward danger. While whispering my God I was suspicious about what had happened. I reached the parking gate. Two people were in the guards’ booth. I passed them and found the old Peugeot based on the given sings. I opened the door and sound the switch keys under the chair. Then I switched on the car and moved. When I reached the guards’ booth and delivered the receipt, the guard said: “But somebody else brought the car here?!” I said: “He was my brother.” He did not suspect and after paying the money I could come out. I could not believe that easy it could be done. So, I became suspected about what I had done. I looked around and reached to the place that Iraj was waiting for me. Iraj could not believe that I was back. He said: “Did nothing happen? Was everything ok?” I said: “No!” Iraj asked me to move in the streets around several times to check nobody was following us. So, this way I was saved by God once again.