Changing the Governor

Translated by Ruhollah Golmoradi

2023-3-14

I was invited to Tabriz University in Ramadhan (August-September) 1979. Firstly, a member of Islamic Association, Mr. Ahamad Khorram invited me {Hujjat al-Islam Hassan Hassanzadeh Kashmari}; it was supposed to speak from the pulpit in Qazi Mosque that SAVAK prevented. Finally, I had to go to Tabriz University to give a speech. Then they said, “you should have a letter from Mr. Shariatmadari.” After that, we had a private meeting with Muslim brothers of Tabriz University and it was discussed, “now that they don’t allow to have a lecture, what should we do?” Students from Ardabil said, “you go to Ardabil.” That year I went to Ardabil in Ramadhan. The sessions of Ramadhan were so effective that also a symposiast participated in the sessions. The people attended and I expressed whatever I wanted to say in the same session.

I told myself: I speak and go. I thought there was also like Tabriz. There were a few people when I made my lecture in the first session. In the next day, the crowd poured into the mosque and said, “Agha (literally means Mr., but generally refers to Hajj Agha) wait. I went to a mosque around Ardabil in the next night. A crowd about 5 or 6 thousands people participated; this was the second night. In the next night, the crowd reached to 10 thousand. They came from Meshkinshahr and even from Tabriz by bus. It was a young, eager and passionate crowd. I made lecture five to six nights in Ardabil that the recorded tapes are available; unfortunately, the tape of the first day is not available. There was a different situation in Ardabil that practically we took control of the city.

One night the governor called me and said: the fellow, here is near to borders, such and such, and don’t insult His Majesty. I told the main problem is now His Majesty and What's that got to do with you? He said I am the governor. I said now I am the governor. Would you like to order to remove you? This was really the situation. I felt Ardabil was practically under control of the revolutionaries in Ramadhan of that year. That is the counterrevolutionary group had no power against this crowd. Shortly, that was a passionate night in Ardabil. They captured me in the sixth night and sent to Tabriz. Everywhere was demonstration on the way. People went out and participated in the demonstration while it was Ramadhan; that is, the sessions in Ramadhan were so helpful for the revolutionaries and those who had a revolutionary mindset, and they welcomed such meetings. Men and women, especially the young, made their efforts for the revolutionary activities and thoughts of Imam and delivering them into the people; there was a proper context for these activities in that year and there were many achievements.

They kept me one night in Tabriz. I introduced myself with allonym of “Hassanpour”. They called to the center in order to identify me; when they asked my age and sent my photo, they took me to Tehran and kept me in the prison until February 11^th. Maybe I was the last political prisoner of the Shah regime. That is Imam had come to Iran and I was still in prison. It was surprising for me that how they were in power and I was still in prison.

Source: Khatami, Ali & Shokri, Mohammad Kazim (2008) Decade of Seventy: Memories of Hassan Hassanzadeh Kashmari (in Persian: Daheye Panjah: Khaterat-e Hasan Hasanzadeh Kashmari). Compiled by Faramarz Shoa’a Hosseini, Tehran: Orooj Publication. Pp. 44-45.