Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (32)

Edited by Mohsen Kazemi

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (32)
Edited by Mohsen Kazemi
Soureh Mehr Publishing Company
(Original Text in Persian, 2000)
Translated by Mohammad Karimi

Job Change
For the people who had prison background finding a job and keeping it was hard work. After passing my military service SAVAK was monitoring me persistently at my work in Pars Metal Company. After some time they put pressure on Ahmad Tahsili and Haji Baba (Company owners) to fire me, but they resisted. I was working in supply department in that company. They purveyed me a car to speed up my job affairs. After some time I faced a great problem. Whenever I would buy something, the sellers would not accept to write the discount rate on my receipts. Sometimes they would give me the money in cash after issuing the receipt. My insistence on mentioning the figure of discount on the receipt was useless. I told the problem to Haj Ahmad Tahsili. He told me: “No Problem. Get the money and bring it for me.”
I thought this may religiously have some faults; because the sellers may think that even a good believer can also be bribed.
Finally I could not tolerate this condition and asked Mr. Tahsili to let me go and he accepted and then I came out of that company. I was jobless for some time until my brother introduced me to Sedaghat Crystal Factory which was located in Shoush Square. After an interview with the factory’s owner I began working there as accountant. Working there is a bad memory for me. I would never forget the poorness and misery of the workers there. They were so exact about the figure of their monthly salary; sometimes I was surprised about their exactness because they would count on each penny that they would get from us. They would remind us about our mistakes in their salary figures in a way that it was quite surprising. I saw many women who would beg for employing their kids there as workers.

Return of Saeed Mohammadi Fateh
It was arranged for Saeed to be in Iran for operations against the 2500th anniversary of Persian Empire feasts. He had gone to Germany after being trained as militia in Lebanon. Since his passport was sealed in Passport Department in Lebanon, he had problem to enter Iran. He decided to hoax SAVAK to get free of this problem. As it was planned, he referred to Iranian Embassy in Germany and asked for new passport saying he had lost the older one. The embassy became suspected about him. They inquired SAVAK about him by delivering his name and other ID information. SAVAK, who had found what it wanted, told them to facilitate his coming to Iran. For six months he followed reissuing his passport unaware of SAVAK monitoring him and knowing his hoax. Finally the embassy, coordinated with SAVAK, told him reissuing a new passport was impossible there and they could only give him a visa to get back home. They had told him that he had to go back home and ask for a new passport there. Saeed, happy of hoaxing the embassy, welcomed this suggestion. So, he came back. SAVAK had arranged everything for him to pass all the gates in airport with no problem. They let him free for some days while monitoring him wherever he went and explored his contacts with others.
After his departure to Germany, SAVAK agents had gone to his fatherly house several times and investigated about him from his family. I had noticed that he was squealed for SAVAK. So, I wrote him no to come back to Iran. I had sent this letter with a pseudonym to his brother, Mohammad. This letter had also been entrapped by SAVAK. Saeed unaware of all these events, contacted with me right after visiting his family and came to our house. I told him: “Why have you come here?! You might be chased!” He said: “No; you, may be… but me, no!”
Then he narrated the trend of his return to Iran. I found out that SAVAK had entrapped him. I told him: “You’ve been entrapped by SAVAK. They have hoaxed you.” I read for him my reasons and asked him not to contact me anymore. Later on, all our contacts were made through his brother, Mohammad Mohammadi Fateh and we manage to visit each other in some appointments. The main discussions in these visits were how to coordinate with each other about what we may confess after arrest. In order to justify everything for SAVAK, we would carry sport equipment such as sport shoes and cloths and … for example we would coordinate with each other that we were going for mountain climbing on Friday and such. During these days, SAVAK would summon him for different reasons and try to force him to cooperate. At last in was in July 1971 that one day he did not come for the appointment that we had made. I became worried and guessed he was arrested; so, called his home. Mohammad picked the phone. I asked about Saeed and told him that we were about to go mountain climbing the next day. Mohammad said that he had gone that morning and not come back till then. I told him: “Ok, you come instead.” But he did not come. I suppose that day, when Mohammad had been coming out of the house he had become suspicious to the conditions around and guessed that his house had been monitored. So, he had changed his path and not come to our house. This way we found out that Saeed had been arrested.

Arrested Again
Saeed Mohammadi Fateh was entrapped and arrested just because of his carelessness and simplicity. After three days of torture by SAVAK he confessed about his relation with me. He explained his dialogues with me in full detail.
Despite doing some affairs or moves for Hezbollah, Saeed was never aware of the real identity of this group because of our providence. So, when being interrogated, he could not say anything important about Hezbollah and the group was saved safe and sound from this real and serious threat.
Saeed confessed about his contacts with Abbass Agha Zamani and participating in classes and meetings through his contacts with me. He had also confessed about the way that he could depart the country for participation in Ozaka Industrial Exhibition and then going to Germany and Lebanon and the way he had made contacts with Hussein Rezai and Hassan Massali (via Agha Zamani) and his reason for going to Al-Fateh camp (for militia trainings). He also talked about his contacts with me.
I had noticed the crucial and suspicious conditions and contacted with several comrades and explained the situation for them and told them that Saeed had possibly been arrested. I asked them to cut their contacts me or my family. I was more worried about the operation we had scheduled for September for the 2500th anniversary of Persian Empire feasts. If I would have been arrested, that operation would be overshadowed.
I gave all my documents to Bagher Abbassi and he took them along that night. The night before June 28th 1971, I was asleep in the second floor of our home. It was some minutes after midnight that they knocked on the door. My mum who was more aware went behind the door and asked who it was. She heard: “We are Ahmad friends. Is he at home?” My mum said: “He does not have a friend to came at midnight.” They threatened to break the door. My mum began shouting. My father and I, who were asleep until this time, woke up by all these sounds and shouts. My father went to the yard. I guessed it was something related to Saeed’s arrest. So, instantly I gathered all the remained documents and hid them behind the coal bags and went to the roof. Just at the time that I wanted to jump to the other alley behind our house, I noticed they had located some agents there either. I got back to my room and pretended to be asleep.
Moments later, they knocked on my room. I stood to open the door in a sleepy way. One of them said: “That’s right, he is Ahmad.” Another one reported on the wireless: “We found the subject!”
They asked me to wear my clothes. I argued with them about why I had to go with them and what was my fault and why they had interrupted my family. Anyway… they took me to Jeep they had. Two agents sat on both my sides. They began their work right there in the car. They began threatening me and said: “You have not stopped your black deeds? Don’t you want to live like human being?! This time there is no way back for…”
I began defending myself and said: “I do not have any activity now. I am not a member of any group. I am living my own life. I have been in military service for two years and become an “Excellent Corps Soldier”. I am working in factory…” However, they would not notice and do what they wanted. They continued threatening me.
Right then, I remembered if I had the codes notebook with me. I got pale. My heart started beating faster. I could feel my body’s warmness. I slowly moved my hand to my pocket and checked it. It was a relief; it was not there. However, I had the keys on me. They were the keys we had for the house that we had rented for organizational activities in Komeyl Street. I was looking for chance to throw them out.
From the road it was clear that we were going to Qezel Qal’eh Prison. Qezel Qal’eh Prison was an old home for me then.