Is This Tabriz?

Compiled by: Iranian Revolution Website
Translated by: Fazel Shirzad

2024-6-26


The first group of political prisoners who were released from Tabriz prison were three of my friends. In meeting with them, I [i.e. Ali Sufi] realized that they have many questions in their minds. They kept asking: what's up sir? We have heard in the prison that people are marching and everyone is united! it is true? How are the things shown on TV true? When I explained the situation to them, they couldn't believe it at first. I decided to take them to the activity center of Tabriz city the next day so that they can witness everything up close. The center of most public gatherings in Tabriz was in the city market. The market of Tabriz city had the status of Tehran University and people from all groups and trades were hungry there. The whole market is closed and on strike. At the appointed time, different groups started marching hand in hand. They moved regularly and stamped their feet on the ground with a certain consistency. People chanted "Khomeini O Imam" loudly and stomped their feet on the ground with such grandeur and grandeur that the hair on the person's body stood on end. Our friends, who had just been released, looked at the crowd dumbfounded. One of them said. God, am I dreaming or am I awake! Another said: Is this really Tabriz? The same Tabriz where we were arrested and went to prison? Is it possible that people have changed like this in such a short period of time?

There was nothing left for them to take off their wings and fly. What they saw with their eyes did not match what they heard. They couldn't believe that people have changed like this and come together with one heart and one step on the way to a goal. After the Imam's arrival in the country, SAVAK, through a notice that was published in an official newspaper and broadcasted through radio and television, announced a telephone number and asked the people of Tehran to inform them of suspicious cases. SAVAK wanted to deal with the raging flood of people under the name of "fighting the flow of sabotage" under this pretext. Due to the responsibility I had in Tabriz telecommunication, I thought as much as I could to deal with these mischiefs. Through a special device that I had, I could monitor SAVAK's phone number and listen to possible reports. At the same time, I was talking with Mr. Besharti in Tehran and reporting suspicious cases to him. Most of the phones referred to mundane matters. For example, it was announced: "our neighbor's son participates in the march every day" or "my friend speaks against the king and the government" and...One night someone called the above number and mentioned a local address and said: our neighbor is a revolutionist that suspicious people come and go to his house. Especially tonight, when the pickup truck entered his house, they unloaded items and... I quickly informed my fighter friend Mr. Besharti about the above so that he can check the news and inform them. This continued until a few days later, SAVAK was dissolved and its officers were arrested or fled.[1]

 


[1]Source: Prison diaries: a selection of the untold stories of political prisoners of the Pahlavi regime, by Saeed Ghiyathian, Tehran, Surah Mehr, 2018, pp. 351-353.

 



 
Number of Visits: 599


Comments

 
Full Name:
Email:
Comment:
 
At the Unveiling of “War and State”:

Minister of Health Praises the Prestigious Sadr Family

The book War and State in the Memoirs of Seyyed Mohammad Sadr, authored by Mohammad Qobadi and published by Sooreh Mehr, was officially unveiled at the The Artistic Sect of the Islamic Republic. According to the Sooreh Mehr Publishing website, this event was attended by Mohammadreza Zafarghandi, Minister of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education;
Dr. Nouraei:

“Oral history of art” should move toward producing documentaries

According to Iranian Oral History website, the preliminary workshop of “Oral History of Art” was held online before the national conference “Iranian Theories of Historiography and Art” on Wednesday 21st of Azar 1403 (December 11, 2024) by the Art Research Institute of the Art Cultural Center. During the event, “Dr. Morteza Nouraee” the professor of the History Group of Isfahan University delivered a speech.

Benefits of Oral History

History, as one of the fundamental disciplines within the humanities, has evolved through time to adopt various forms and methodologies. Concepts such as "written history," "comprehensive history," and "oral history" exemplify these approaches. Written history relies on documents and textual sources for the analysis and composition of historical accounts, while comprehensive history seeks to integrate various sources—both written and oral.
Book Review

The Hidden Camp

The Hidden Camp narrates the autobiographical memoirs of Mohammad Hassan Mirzaei, recounting his experiences from managing Iraqi POW camps to enduring captivity in Iranian POW camps. This work, rewritten and compiled by Meysam Gholampour, was published in the summer of 2024 by Mirath-e Ahl-e Qalam Publications in collaboration with the Damavand Martyrs Foundation.