Abdolkarim lahiji Lahidji

Murderers as human rights advocates

In this “exclusive” interview with RFE/RL, conducted on May 4, the “deputy director of the Paris-based international Federation of Human Rights” and head of what is called “League for Defense Of Human Rights in Iran”, Abdolkarim Lahidji (or Lahiji), who is apparently very hard to reach, condemns the recent arrest of Canadian scholar Ramin Jahanbegloo. Jahanbegloo, who like most supporters of the republic of terror (read his interview with Noam Chomsky) has been critical of Ahmadinejad’s betrayal of the true face of the Islamic Republic---and thus the undoing of years of work by the types of Mullah Khatami, Lahidji and (Ayatollah) Shirin Ebadi---was arrested earlier this week on charges of espionage. As one blogger correctly put it, “those who defend the theocratic regime in Iran are one by one being bit by the hand that feeds them.” I have nothing to add to that.

The most interesting part of this interview however, for me at least, is towards the end:

RFE/RL: You have been fighting for the improvement of the human-rights situation of Iran for more than three decades. What has been your lowest point? What is your worst memory?

Lahidji: My worst memory is from the early 1980s, when every day dozens of people were being executed in Iran; and in the 1980s, when thousands of people were executed in Iran merely because of their political, social, and religious activities. In my opinion, this is one of the darkest pages in Iran's modern history.”

Iranians reading this excerpt are either laughing at Lahiji’s attempt to “rewrite yesterday’s weather” or shocked by his dishonesty. I’ll explain to non-Iranians why this is so, for most have no way of knowing:

The truth is that this charlatan was himself one of the strongest advocates of executing opponents of his, and his “Imam’s” revolution and republic. Below is something I wrote last year, in reaction to yet another interview by Radio Farda with Lahiji as a human rights expert. I hope that it will shed some light on his character, and prove, much to his handlers’ chagrin, that the victims of the 79 disaster will not allow “Radio Free Europe” to rewrite Iran’s history:


Yesterday's Terrorists, Today's Human Rights Advocates
Fri Feb 25, 2005

Yesterday, February 24, 2005, Radio Farda conducted yet another interview with Abdolkarim Lahiji about human rights issues. As Radio Farda is paid for by the US congress and operated by the Department of State’s International Broadcasting Bureau, I believe US citizens who are friends of Iran (not to mention President Bush’s supporters) should know how their hard earned money is being spent by a department supposedly in line with the President’s views on Iran. This, regardless that the radio may further the interests of others. Needless to say, the role of Radio Farda in promoting views against Iran’s interests has been clear to Iranians themselves since this radio’s inception. Guests such as Hooshang Amirahmadi of the AIC, the pro-Islamic Republic US lobby, and Sadegh Zibakalam, a Lebanese trained Islamist terrorist who is now a Tehran University “professor” and an adviser to the fascist regime do not exactly attract Iranian listeners. As to Lahiji, Ayatollah Shirin Ebadi’s friend and contact in France…

Abdolkarim Lahiji’s role in the Islamo-“communist” reaction:

Jan 25, 1979---“Human rights” defined:

Addressing the employees of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Abdolkarim Lahiji, spokesman of the “Lawyers Committee of Iran” and secretary of the “Iranian Committee for the Defense of Human Rights”, stated: “All acts by agents of the Pahlavi regime carry the death penalty. These individuals have repeatedly revolted* against the national government and against the constitution, and against the spirit and thoughts and beliefs and freedoms of the people. When a revolutionary court is formed, we will set forth new views on laws from a correct revolutionary position so that all learn what it means to revolt against the people.” (*”repeated coup d’etats,” literally!)

April 1, 1979---On Hezbollah’s Referendum:

Abdolkarim Lahiji, spokesman of the “Committee for the Defense of Freedom and Human Rights”, who on behalf of the interim government had invited a group of international legal experts for their observations on the referendum, said: “This group visited a number of districts and their opinion on the referendum is generally positive.”

July 21, 1979--- Candidate for the Assembly of Experts

Runs as a candidate for the Assembly of Experts; he is one of the candidates of a coalition of political groups including MKO, Revolutionary Movement of the Moslem People of Iran (JAMA), Jonbesh, Movement of Moslem Fighters, and the Islamist organization SASH. The same day two Iranian women, Turan Karimi and Alam Jahedi are executed, one for “corruption on earth”, another for carrying a concealed weapon:

July 25, 1979--- Moslem People’s Republic Party

Becomes one of the candidates of the Moslem People’s Republic Party as a representative in the Assembly of Experts.

Feb 4, 1980---“Committee for the Defense of Freedom and Human Rights” Exposed

Pars News: “Moslem Students Following the Line of Imam” had released documents showing Nasser Minachi to have been in contact with the US Embassy and the CIA [this was during Jimmy Carter’s administration]. In an interview with Pars News Agency on this date Minachi admitted that the contacts concerned only human rights issues, saying that the contacts were made on behalf of “Committee for the Defense of Freedom and Human Rights”, whose members included Mehdi Bazargan (Khomeini’s first Prime Minister), Karim Sanjabi (head of Jebhe Melli), Ali-Asghar Haj Seyd Javadi (Jonbesh), and Abdolkarim Lahiji, the committee’s spokesman. Minachi added that in addition to these members, religious leaders and Mullahs in the Office of the Islamic Revolution Affairs were well aware of these meetings and talks. In this interview Minachi also spoke of the services of the “Committee for the Defense of Freedom and Human Rights” in the realization of the Islamic Revolution: “During the Cinema Rex fire in Abadan, we along with Students’ Islamic Association organized a meeting in front of Washington Post’s Tehran office, where we succeeded in representing the Shah’s government as the culprit, thus preventing the blame being put on the Mullahs and Moslems. We completely changed US public opinion regarding the Cinema Rex fire.” (Later, on March 2, 1980, more documents would be released on Lahiji’s past contacts with the US embassy)

Feb 25, 1980---Turned to by the UN

Reuters: Members of the United Nations commission ask Abdolkarim Lahiji (naturally) to write a report about the political situation during the reign of the Shah and of the human rights violations during the period.

March 8, 1980: Runs as a candidate for the Islamic Majless.