When I Was Arrested for the First Time

Compiled by: Islamic Revelation Website
Translated by: Fazel Shirzad

2021-7-13

Different people attended in the distribution of leaflets. Sometimes some people tried to distribute leaflets spontaneously at Sadr School or elsewhere. Among these people, Mehdi Tariq-al-Islam was one who nobody gave him a responsibility to distribute declaration, but he was aware of the distributors of leaflets. This person who later created the Mojahedin organization and then joined the campaign. After the revolution, Tariq-al-Islam's mother unmasked his name and activities and he became executed; Imam Khomeini appreciated this mother.

However, Mr. Tariq-al-Islam was arrested by SAVAK. Mr. Hasteai told me: "Because he is a teen and under fifteen years, they are forced to free him after a while." But at this time, the father of Tariq-al-Islam told to SAVAK and says: "I know who gives these leaflets. This is Mr. Hastaei who distribute these leaflets. Accordingly, Mr. Hastaei was arrested by SAVAK. it lasted forty-five days that Mr. Hastaei got rid of the prison. He resisted this time and only once said: "Take me to Engineer Reza Mohammad. May he know the ones who were working in distribution; I can beg him and ask to unmask their names. Of course, since he will not tell you right, let me talk to him alone."

Meanwhile, while Mr. Hastaei was being prisoned by SAVAK, a government meeting was held at Chaharbagh School against Jamal Abdul Nasser. At this time, Iran-Egypt relations were being weekended. At that time, Ramadan 1343, I prepared and typed a proclamation against that meeting. That leaflet was typed by Golbidi, but I stated in SAVAK that I typed it at Mr. Golbidi's deaf-mute school. The leaflet had a sharp statement against the Shah, and there was a poem at the top of the paper that we had already quoted:

In the eyes of the world, your words are being disgraced

Through Iranian radio, nobody will believe in your words

By SAVAK, The mercenary population will be increased

Every day to the world, every moment to a porch

This poem indicated that the regime's mercenaries had participated in this meeting as the people's forces and that the Pahlavi regime was involved in the worldwide scandal.

The leaflet was published twice, and we wanted to make it clear to SAVAK that the publication of anti-regime leaflets had nothing to do with Mr. Hastaei. We even sent the leaflet to SAVAK by mail.

In this way, they brought Mr. Hastaei to the school to meet me. When I entered the office of the school, I found that two strangers were with him. The agents moved away from the Hastaei, and he began to talk to me slowly: "I told them I wanted to get help from this man, because he is dealing with these religious organizations, maybe he can say where these leaflets come from." Then he added, "Sir, I have been under pressure for 45 days."So you should come and confess because nothing can be done anymore." I replied, "What are you talking about?" What should I confess? Be sure, they don't take you easy." he said, "No, I'll wait another week. After that, I will say that you and Mr. Bozorgzad participate in the distribution." I replied, "Wait a week, I will try for your freedom."

After this conversation, he was taken away. Of course, later when I was also arrested, they said that from the moment we came to you, we realized that you had participated. After that, they put more pressure on Mr. Hastaei. As an instance, he was kept in a greenhouse in that snowy cold. The local greenhouse was in the same SAVAK’s office in Isfahan near the Shiri Bridge. Finally, Mr. Hastaei said, "Let me describe our activities without mentioning the name. He wrote: "There were three of us: X, Y, and Z. X's job was to prepare and write the leaflets. Y copied them. Z was also the distribute them. Finally, after six pages of description, he had said: I mean X, Engineer Reza Mir Mohammad Sadeghi. Y is Mr. Bozorgzad and Z is me."

After this confession, SAVAK agents came to the school. Shahidi, a SAVAK agent, told me, "You said that wait another week, you will help him. How did you help now?" I said, "By God, I could not find anything when I went to mosques and shrines to see who was doing these things."  Shahidi said, "It was good that you went to Bozorgzad clock-making shop and looked behind his shop, maybe you would find a copy device there". With these words, I realized that denial is useless and that Mr. Hastaei had unmasked everything. They put me in a car and took me to the big watchmaker, in front of the money changers' alley. We had taken the copy device from my house to the big clock shop at that time. He would put his clocks in a place like a strongbox and close the door. This strongbox was located behind the shop. At the back, Hassan Haddadi had installed a copy device that was about one and a half meters by three meters. When Bozorgzad and I were arrested, other fighters, including Haddadi, Sharif Vaqefi, Tabesh, and others found out about this event. As an instance, Tabesh, who typed the leaflets, fled to Iraq. In Najaf Ashraf, he was dressed as a clergyman, and, although he was not Sayyid, he wore a black turban to avoid being recognized, and then he became known as Seyyed Ali.

Before my arrest, about eleven people had been arrested, including Muhammad Pishgahi, an individual, Arab, Saheban, and Bozorgi. I did not know the others, because they were all distributors of leaflets. Of course, they did not know me as well.

However, SAVAK sought to find the issuer of the last leaflet that was issued at the time of the arrest of Mr. Hastaei. We were in the room of Colonel Sedghi, the head of the SAVAK in Isfahan when Sedghi ordered to whip Bozorgzad to confess who distribute this leaflet. When they wanted to whip Mr. Bozorgzad. "It was my job," I said. Siddiqui said: "Who wrote this leaflet that you copied?" Because the photo of the leaflet was left on the copy device’s roller. After accepting the leaflet's writer, they looked for the typewriter of the leaflet. I did not introduce anyone in this case. Since I was in the deaf-mute school managed by Golbidi, I was taken there to face Golbidi. Shahidi, a SAVAK agent, was acquainted with Golbidi and was going to deprive the magazine "School of Islam" of him. Shahidi said Golbidi's purposely: "You go to prayer and people come and type secretly leaflets with your typewriter." Golbidi repeated the same words. Thus, Golbidi was not arrested and only the school typewriter was confiscated. Regarding the distribution of the last leaflet that I accepted, I said: "This leaflet was not distributed at all and we only sent it to you," Although, I had posted it all myself.

Anyway, the SAVAK made a case was completed and referred to the Isfahan Military Court.