UN ODIEUX GUET.APENS Leparti D'abdul Rahman Ghassemlou
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INSTITUT URD DE PARIS Information and liaison bulletin ISpecial Issue I July-August 1989 This bulletin is issued in French, German, Enghh. Kurdish, Spanish and Turkish. Price per issue: (France) 25 FF, (ElsewheJe): 30 p:.. Annual subscribtion (12 issues) France: 240 FF, (E sl'where) 265 FF Monthly review Director of publication: Mohamad HASSAN numero de la Commission Paritaire: 659 i5 A.S. ISSN 0761 1285 INSTITUT KURDE 106, rue La Fayette - 7iOlQ PARV; Tel.: (1) 48 24 64 64 - Fax: (1) 47 70 99 Oit spec/a/Issue: A. R. GHASSEMLOU SUMMARY o TRIPLE MURDER IN VIENNA o WHO ARE THE ASSASSINS AND WHAT HAS BECOME OF THEM? o ATTITUDE OF THE AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT o PUBLIC EMOTIONS AND THE SILENCE OF STATES o FUNERAL SERVICES IN PARIS : MOMENT OF STRONG KURDISH NATIONAL UNITY o PORTRAITS OF THE KURDISH MARTYRS o SPECIAL RESOLUTIONSOF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN PARIS o ACCOUNT OF THE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEENTHE IRANIAN KURDISH MOVEMENT AND THE TEHRAN AUTHORITIES o BRIEF PRESSREVIEWS TRIPLE MURDER IN VIENNA n Thursday, July 13th 1989, at approximately 7 Socialist Congress, having come to Vienna on Tues- pm, the Kurdish Iranian leader AbelelRahman day evening, July 11th,to meet with Iranian emissaries Ghassemlou, Secretary General of the Demo- delegated by RAFSANDJANI, the then powerful presi- O cratic Party of Kurdistan of Iran, and two other dent of the Iranian Parliament and declared candidate important Kurdish individuals, Abdoullah GHADERI- for the presidency of the Republic. The following day, AlAR, representative of the PDKI in Europe, and along with Ghaderi-Azar and Dr. F. Rassoul, Ghas- Dr. Fadhel RASSOUL, researcher at the University of semlou had his first meeting at 2:30 pm with these Vienna, were assassinated inan apartment on Lindes- "emissanes». Because of marked progress during the trasse Street in Vienna. The assassination occurred course of this first meeting, a second and final meeting while they were in the process of peace talks with had been called for Thursday the 13th at 5 pm. That Iranian government emissaries. Dr. Ghassemlou had day, around 4:45 pm, the PDKI representative in Vien- come to Europe to participate in the International na dropped off Ghassemlou and Ghaderi-Azar infront INFORMATION AND UAISON BUUETIN 2 of the Hilton Hotel, approximately 100 meters from the went Into the building and realized what had happened: meeting point. As arranged, he carne back to the same the bodies of A. Ghaderl.Azar and Dr. F. Rassoul were place to pick them up around 7:15; they were not there. lying In pools of blood on the carpet and Ghassemlou was slouched In an armchair. The apartment was In He drove off and came back again at 7:30; he saw complete disorder, Indicating that a fierce struggle police cars and some people gathered In front of a must have taken place between the killers and Ghas- building on L1ndestrasse Street, close to the Hilton. He semlou's two companions. WHO ARE THE ASSASSINS AND WHAT HAS BECOME OF THEM? The Inquest by the Austrian police rapidly established strange client being very nervous and asking to be that the killers had not broken into the apartment. taken tothe airport, then changing his mind and asking Neitherthe front doorto the apartment nor the lock had to be taken to the Iranian Embassy. been forced. As early as July 17th, the ballstic report established that the assassinations had been carried Nobody has seen him since. The Austrian justice out by people standing facing the victims. Contrary to a minister affirmed at the end of August that Moustafawi version of the story diffused by Iranian propaganda, was still to be found on Austrian territory and that a war- there is no doubt that an outsider came to commit this rant for his arrest had been sent out at the end of July. crime, neither the moudjahiddin, nor Iraqi agents. The Other witnesses maintain having seen Moustafawi Kurdish figures, carrying no weapons, were assassina- walking about freely in the Iranian capital In September. ted by so-called Iranian negotiators that turned out to be everyday killers. Mohammad Jafar Sahraroudl was injured at the site of the crime by a bullet hitting his forearm and then the The identity of these «emissaries» was all the more lower part of his face. Before, during orafterthe attack? easily established because the same ones had partici- He was taken to Franz Josef Hospital where the report pated in December 1988 in the first set of talks With he gave to the police was incoherent and contradicted Ghassemlou (and now again in Vienna). The three the facts given by Bozorgian. The Austrian authonties people in question are: Mohammad Jafar SAHAROU- decided to confine him to a residence so that he could 01 (alias RAHIMI), head of the Iranian delegation, a be acceSSible to the courts. Sahraroundi and Mousta- high government official at the Ministry of the Interior, fawi were both holders of diplomatic passports. but they specialist on the Kurdish question, assistant comman- were not accredited. On July 22nd 1989, upon leaving der-in-chief of the 15th Division of the Pasdarans Army the hospital, Sahraroudi was escorted by police to the (soldiers of the Islamic revolution), special envoy of airport where he was sent directly to Tehran. From RAFSANDJANI, current President of Iran; Hadji informed sources we know that the Minister of Foreign MOUSTAFAWI (alias DJAWADI or LADJEVARDI), a Affairs received a number of telegrams from Tehran high government official at the central information threatening the kidnapping of Austrians in Iran as a way bureau, in charge of the secret service forthe Western of retaliating, among other forms of terrorism. Azerbaidjan region (Kurdistan), second in charge in the Iranian delegation at the Vienna talks; Amir Mausur Amlr Mansour Borzorgian was Immediately arrested BOlORGIAN, officially SAHAROUDl's body guard. but released 24 hours later. The police did not have any truely valid reasons for retaining him. Borzorgian took Hadji Mustafawi disappeared immediately following refuge in the Iranian Embassy. categorically refusing to the attack. He was momentarily seen near Sahraroudi, put himself atthedispositlon of the authorities in charge who was in the street, hurt. He then disappeared on a of the inquest. Indignant, the police restated their Suzuki motorcycle for which the papers and rear-view demands; a warrant for Borzorgian's arrest was sent mirror were later found in a garbage can in close out for «failure to render assistance to a person in proximity to the site of the crime, along with the wea- danger». In orderfor hlmto agree to leave the Embas- pons used in the attack and a parka spattered With sy, Mr. Foregger, MInister of Justice, was asked by blood - all in a plastic bag. Proof of Moustafawi using Tehran to release the suspect following his interroga- the motorcycle is insufficient, we are told. Somebody tion; an incident which caused great unrest in Vienna else might well have used the motorcycle. Later, and Yielded no tangible results ... And yet, Borzor- Moustafawi took a taxi. The driver of the taxi was able gian's behaVior merits the most attention. He swears to to recognise him from a photo. He remembered this know nothing about the crime, saying that he left the INFORMATION AND UAISON BULLETIN 3 building to go down and buy some food. Nobody In the dl for a few minutes, going away in the direction of a shops In that neighborhood remembers his face. From neighboring park returned. Sahraroudl took out some his side, Sahraroudi denies that Bozorglan ever left.. documents and 9,000 American dollars from his poc- . At 7:30 In the evening, F. Rassoul's brother-in-law ket. The envelope was given back to Its owner by the received a phone call from Bozorglan announcing that Austrian authorities at the time of his departure for something terrible had happened: that F. Rassoul was Tehran. We conclude, finally, that Borzorglan had not dead. Borzorglan affirms having discovered Sahrarou- participated Inthe talks In December/January 1988, but dl hurt on the sidewalk. Although, he then left Sahrarou- that he was nevertheless in Vienna during this period. ATTITUDE OF THE AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT The least that one can say Is that the Austrian authori- sent out a warrant for the arrest of the three Iranians ties have not acted with the promptness and firmness who, aftertheircrime, were reintergrated into the killing necessary to shed light on this horrible attack and bring machine of the Islamic Repubic. What were the rea- its authors to justice. Nevertheless, the police were sons given by the state? It has been said that Iran easily able to apprehend two of the three members of threatened attacks in Austria and kidnappings of Aus- the Iranian delegation: Amir Mansour Bozozrgian and trians in Lebanon and elsewhere. The Austrian press Mohammad Jafar Sahraroudi. The former was arres- also revealed a NORECOM affair being carried out, of ted at the place of the crime on Lindestrasse Street, the clandestine sale of arms to Iran for thousands of was released 24 hours later and took refuge in the Austrian schillings. It appears that an Iranian was the Iranian Embassy. The latter, injured by a stray bullet, principal negotiator of this illegal trafficking committed was able to fly peacefully to Tehran as early as July in Gulf War; Hadjl MOUSTAFANI, the brain behind a 22nd. That is to say, he was released five days after the commando of killers who assassinated A. R. Ghassem- first decisive findings from the balistic report, leaving Iou and hiS two companions. practically no doubt about the Iranian «emissaries' .. responsibility in this triple murder.