Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (31)

Edited by Mohsen Kazemi

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (31)
Edited by Mohsen Kazemi
Soureh Mehr Publishing Company
(Original Text in Persian, 2000)
Translated by Mohammad Karimi

The Souvenir

Just Fight

When the military service days with all their up and downs passed, I found some time to follow my postponed political activities in Hezbollah. I began actively participating in party meetings and mountain climbing programs. I got more acquainted with Mohammad Mofidi, Alireza Sepassi and Abbass Agha Zamani. Of course, whenever I could find any chance at the time of my military service, I would come to Tehran and take part in meetings and speech sessions of people like Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani in Hedayat Mosque.
Social and cultural conditions of those days were so awful and far from Islamic values. Immoral behaviors among the youth were so common. It was so hard for a young Muslim to live by Islamic laws. Marriage was something helpful to save the people who wanted to live morally. So, I decided to marry. First of all I consulted with my family.
My mum proposed two families for my marriage, but they rejected when being informed of my political imprisonment past. I also would not accept to marry the girls from the families who were not good believers.
My family could not reach to any result. My friends (Agha Zamani & Mofidi) also advised about some girls, but I did not accept. Once, Mohammad Mofidi suggested someone and asked me to visit her for one time at least. I visited her in big building in north of Tehran full of trees and green space. She was relaxing on a chair beside a pool. She was talking about the fight against the regime for people and told me that she was ready to marry a fighter. When I asked her the reason, she said that she liked the excitement and energetic atmosphere in this field. When I saw that she was free of divine reasons, I stopped talking with her and came back.

Concerned about all these, I felt marriage would be a great impediment on my way to fight the regime. Since it was probable for me to be exiled, imprisoned or forced to live secretly, I had to be so cautious to choose someone to be my friend and comrade for the hard way that I had chosen to follow. So, I put it away for some time and temporarily withdrew from getting married.
It was early 1970, when Abbass Agha Zamani increased his activities and it aroused SAVAK sensitivity. SAVAK had become curious and had gone to Ayatollah Mousavi Ardebili and asked few questions about him. After observing the increase in these chasings and investigations by SAVAK, we preferred to send Abbass abroad. In the spring of 1971 we managed to send him abroad. He could travel to Middle East countries and made contacts with al-Fateh organization.
In September 1971 the government was about to hold 2500th anniversary of Persian Empire. Hezbollah decided to conduct some aggressive attempts against these unpopular feasts. So it scheduled an armed attack. I was selected as a member of the operating team. I cut all my contacts with Hezbollah to be safe from SAVAK observations. I only had contacts with one or people like Javad Mansouri. I had rented a house in Komeil Street.
Saeed Mohammadi Fateh was abroad at this time. He had only some written contacts with me. It had been arranged for him to join us in Hezbollah and then the operating team when he comes back from Lebanon.
In October 1970, when my military service was over, I began working in Pars-Metal Co. that would produce cast iron sewage pipes. Working in this new situation was a good covering for my secter activities.
We had to find good capabilities for this operation. We needed arms. Mr. Javad Mansouri introduced one of comrades called Ezzatollah Shahi (1) who would bring us arms. His pseudo name was Khwansari. I talked to him for some sessions. We went to mountain climbing once. There, it was decided that he would give me the arms in two or three days. After few days, when he made no contacts with me, I went to his house in Khorassan Square. He was not at home. When his householder or neighbor saw that I was calling him Khawnsari, guessed that I was one of his friends. So, He said: “I do not know where he is! It is a few days that different people come after him…” When I heard this, I found out that he was wanted by the agents. So, I cautiously left there. When I was far enough, I informed others not to go there.
We would hold some of Hezbollah meetings in the houses of members. Most of these houses had several escaping paths for security reasons. The late Mr. Morteza Azimi’s home was one of these houses. He was the owner of Azar Bookshop in Shahrea Ave. (Enqelab Ave.) right in front of Tehran University. The safe house was in the third floor of this building on top of this bookshop. The late Mr. Azimi was good believer and a revolutionary thoughtful person. He would distribute many revolutionary books and pamphlets among the revolutionary people. Most of the people who were involved in the fight against the regime would refer to him to get these texts. Other than his house, there was also a garden in northern Tehran where intellectual and academic people would gather in it. Mohammad Judo (2) and I, and Ali Akbar Nabavi Nouri (3) would go there to identify capable people to join our organization.
In a meeting it was decided to find a safe place for holding self-defense martial arts classes. Because of the kind of these trainings, they had to be held somewhere quite safe from the danger of SAVAK access and eyes. After a long investigation, finally it was decided to take Mr. Azimi’s books stockroom in 25th of Shahrivar Square (7th of Tir Square). This stockroom was in a basement that was surrounded by no constructions except few buildings. Mohammad Mehr Ayeen was the teacher in this crush course self-defense class. Ali Akbar Nabavi, Mohammad Mofidi, Baqer Abbassi were among the participants. It was good chance for me to learn self-defense techniques.

1)  “Ezzatollah Shahi” stepped up his political activities after the rise of June 5th in 1963. He joined Islamic Coalition Councils. He was working as a print house worker in bazaar that began printing and distributing the pamphlet of Velayat-e Faqih & Islamic Government by Imam Khomeini. He was connected with MKO in 1968-1969. In 1969 at the time of Iran-Israel football game, along with some other of his friends in Islamic Coalition Councils he fired the displayed Israeli flag in Amjadiyeh (Shiroodi) Stadium. They distributed some announcements there and shouted slogans against Israel. Then they went toward Israeli Airline “El AL” office and exploded it. From that time on, we became one of the wanted people by SAVAK. Finally he was arrested at an appointment in Mohammadiyeh Square (E’dam Square). However, he could cleverly run away while being moved toward the car for taking him to prison. Then after Ezzat Shahi could not reside in one place and was permanently moving from place to another; in a way that even his parents would know where he was.
In 1972 a taxi exploded in front of Turkish Embassy and its driver and passengers were killed. SAVAK supposed Ezzat Shahi was one of the killed people in that taxi and did a big propaganda about the death of him.
In 1972 Shahi went to Mashhad along with some other MKO members and hid there. However, in February 1973 returned to Tehran to conduct 10 other explosion during the 10th anniversary of White Revolution. Unsuccessful assassination of Shaban Ja’fari (known as Bimokh [brainless]) is one of his activities that he did along with Vahid Afrakhteh. After a long range of intelligence activities by SAVAK, they could entrap him at Sirous Crossroads in March 1973. SAVAK agents sprayed him with 7 bullets. Then he swallowed cyanide capsules in order to impede agents to get him alive. However, the agents could get him on time and wash his stomach and saved hi of death. He was injured severely and gone under surgery for several time in the police hospital and was saved out of death. His leg was deformed. After being transferred to prison he tolerated so hard tortures and finally was sentenced to 15 years in prison. SAVAK was so concerned about him and kept him in solitary confinement for six month. At last he was freed in November 1978 and joined Imam Khomeini Welcome Committee (Komite Esteqbal-e Imam). After the Islamic Revolution he served as the head of inspection section of Islamic Revolution Committees. In 1984 he returned to his previous job in printing industry. His name is “Ezzatollah Motahari Khwansari” now.
2) Mohammad Mehr Ayeen, son of Hassan was born in 1939 in Mahallat and they moved to Tehran when he was only seven. He finished elementary studies in Entessariyeh Elementary School and was a classmate of the late Mustafa Chamran. Because of his father’s sickness he could not finish his high school and began working to make ends meeting. He worked I different fields such as glassware selling, bookselling, and joints selling. His father died when he was 13 and he became the person in charge of his family. When Ayatollah Boroujerdi passed away, he entered political activities in 1961. In 1962 he made contacts with the late Mahdi Araqi and became a member of Coalition Councils from early days. During these years he began learning Judo and Karate and could get green belt in Judo and brown belt in Karate in short crush courses.
After the rise of June 5th 1963 he began teaching what he had learned to other members in Coalition Councils. In 1969 after being acquainted with Ali Akbar Nabavi Nouri, he joined MKO and began teaching Judo and Karate techniques to MKO members. He also held some classes for Hezbollah Group and Muslim students. Taking hostage of son of Ahsraf, Shahram, is one of his activities in MKO. On October 8th 1971 he was arrested when 9 team houses were revealed and imprisoned for one and a half years. He was arrested in spring of 1352 for the second time and imprisoned in Anti-Sabotage Common Committee, Evin and Qezel Qal’eh. 1975 he separated from MKO after the ideological change in this organization. He was finally freed in March 1978, however, continued his activities by supporting prisoners’ and strikers’ families till the Islamic Revolution victory. At the time of Imam Khomeini’s coming back home after exile, his car was one of the escorting automobiles. After the Islamic Revolution he began teaching Muslim forces in Imam Ali and Vali Asr Garrisons for the fight against the Kurd anti-revolutionary separatists.  Then he worked as the guard for some prominent figures in Islamic Republic Government such as the late president, Mohammad Ali Rajaee.
Later he worked in Islamic Revolution Prosecuting Attorney and for collapsing and arresting MKO members. He was shot in one these operations and deformed his leg. His later responsibilities are: Director General of Public Affairs in Islamic Consultative Assembly, Supporting Commandment of Islamic Revolutionary Corps and Director General of Sports Department of Handicapped Foundation. Mohammad Mehr Ayeen was also known as Mohammad Judo, Mohammad Motori, and Mohammad Davoodi before the Revolution. He has also lost two sons in war.
3) Ali Akbar Nouri was a member of MKO who became connected with Hezbollah through Mohammad Davoodi Mehr Ayeen. He was arrested in winter of 1974 and imprisoned. After freedom he married Ashraf Rabi’i. In 1975 he separated from MKO after ideological change in this organization and created an independent group called “The Shout of Silent People” and continued his fight. This group could conduct some armed operations such as the explosion of Rastakhiz Party offices in Tabriz and Qazvin in 1975 and 1976 respectively. In the winter of 1975 he published a journal called “The last Years’ Events” and distributed it in the spring of that year in Sharif University. He was finally shot dead in an armed conflict with SAVAK in March 1977.