Haleh Sahabi
Encyclopedia
Haleh Sahabi was an Iranian humanitarian and democracy activist. She was the daughter of former Iranian MP and veteran opposition figure Ezzatollah Sahabi
, and the granddaughter of Yadollah Sahabi
. She died at her father's funeral from cardiac arrest, the cause of her cardiac arrest however is disputed.
. She was married to Taghi Shamekhi and has a son named Yahya and two daughters, Amene and Asie.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second inauguration swearing-in ceremony. She was sentenced to two years in prison for “spreading propaganda against the regime" and "disrupting public order," but given temporary release for her father's funeral in May 2011.
militia. According to her son Yahya Shamekhi,
Eyewitnesses, confirming that Sahabi was beaten by security forces, include Ahmad Montazeri and Hamed Montazeri (son and grandson of Ayatollah Montazeri) and an unnamed journalist quoted by International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
. In an interview with the same radio, Hamed Montazeri said that
It has been the subject of speculation that her death may have been due to the injuries inflicted on her lung and intestines during the physical contacts. An anonymous person who claimed to be a surgeon that tried to save her at the last moments in a clinic in Tehran said in a video posted on Youtube
that
However, later in an interview with Radio Farda
, the family denied that any doctor was involved in the efforts to save her at the clinic.
Mark Toner, a US State Department spokesman later said eyewitness and reliable accounts of Haleh Sahabi's death at her father's funeral in Iran made it clear that Ms Sahabi died as a result of reprehensible actions taken by Iranian security forces.
On the other hand, the government insisted that Sahabi died of natural causes. The head of security at the Tehran governor's office, Alireza Janeh, denied there were any clashes at the funeral and stated Sahabi had died of heart problems exacerbated by "stress and hot weather". However, Tehran's temperature is reported to have been only 26 degrees Celsius at 6am and 28 degrees at 7am. Iranian government media have also stated Sahahbi died of "heart problems," and deny that there were any clashes between mourners and security forces, however the state-run IRNA news agency did report that security forces arrested five people who had intended to disrupt order. It did not elaborate further.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
issued a statement calling the incident a "tragedy,” that reveals "a deep contempt for traditions that belong to all Iranians". The campaign has called for the Iranian Judiciary to investigate the incident and to forbid physical or psychological assaults or any other form of interference by security forces at funeral observances. The governments of the US and UK have also asked the Iranian government to investigate the circumstances of Sahabi's death. Amnesty International
, who had previously named her a prisoner of conscience
for her detention, demanded that the Iranian government investigate her death "in full compliance with the UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions".
on the same evening shortly after her death. Her body was seized by the authorities immediately after death, and the authorities forced the family to attend the burial during the night time. Apparently, no autopsy was carried out to elucidate the cause of death. Only a small number of her family and friends were present in the burial. In an interview with VOA about Sahabi, Noble Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi
called this practice "corpse stealing" by the Islamic republic regime.
Ezzatollah Sahabi
Ezzatollah Sahabi was an Iranian scholar, humanitarian, democracy activist, politician and former parliament member. He was famous for his political-economical social analysis, and also for the many years of imprisonment in both the pre-revolution and post-revolution eras...
, and the granddaughter of Yadollah Sahabi
Yadollah Sahabi
Yadollah Sahabi was a prominent Iranian scholar, writer, reformist and politician. A close associate of Mohammad Mosaddegh and Mehdi Bazargan, Sahabi was an active campaigner for the nationalisation of the Iranian oil industry in the 1950s. He was the father of Ezzatollah Sahabi.Sahabi studied at...
. She died at her father's funeral from cardiac arrest, the cause of her cardiac arrest however is disputed.
Personal life
Sahabi was born in 1957(day & month)? in Tehran, Iran, daughter of Ezatollah Sahabi, and Zahra Ataei, whose maternal uncle was Mehdi BazarganMehdi Bazargan
Mehdi Bazargan was a prominent Iranian scholar, academic, long-time pro-democracy activist and head of Iran's interim government, making him Iran's first prime minister after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. He was the head of the first engineering department of Tehran University...
. She was married to Taghi Shamekhi and has a son named Yahya and two daughters, Amene and Asie.
Arrest and imprisonment
Sahabi was a member of the "Mothers for Peace" group and a campaigner for women's rights. On 5 August 2009 she was arrested along with others in front of the parliament during PresidentPresident of Iran
The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in, and the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran; although subordinate to the Supreme Leader of Iran, who functions as the country's head of state...
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second inauguration swearing-in ceremony. She was sentenced to two years in prison for “spreading propaganda against the regime" and "disrupting public order," but given temporary release for her father's funeral in May 2011.
Death at father's funeral
During the funeral of her father, Ezattollah Sahabi, Sahabi reportedly got into an argument with several members of the BasijBasij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
militia. According to her son Yahya Shamekhi,
"When we took the body of my grandfather out for the funeral ceremony, officials tried to stop the ceremony - that made the atmosphere very agitated, ... Finally they forcefully grabbed the body and took it away. Then my mother fell down and became unconscious. The doctor told us she died because of a heart attack."
Eyewitnesses, confirming that Sahabi was beaten by security forces, include Ahmad Montazeri and Hamed Montazeri (son and grandson of Ayatollah Montazeri) and an unnamed journalist quoted by International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran is a non-government organization that works to bring international attention on what it views as the Iranian government’s repression of human rights and civil liberties in Iran. It is based in the United States...
. In an interview with the same radio, Hamed Montazeri said that
"I did witness a member of the forces hitting Ms. Sahabi on her upper body, and I testify that she fainted immediately after the strike. The offender hid in the crowd soon after that."
It has been the subject of speculation that her death may have been due to the injuries inflicted on her lung and intestines during the physical contacts. An anonymous person who claimed to be a surgeon that tried to save her at the last moments in a clinic in Tehran said in a video posted on Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
that
"When I visited this lady, she was very pale. I reject the cardiac arrest as the primary cause of death. I suppose that it should have been an internal bleeding, especially because she was so pale. I witnessed signs of beating on the left side of her abdomen right below her ribs, and guess that it should have been a severe injury to the spleenSpleenThe spleen is an organ found in virtually all vertebrate animals with important roles in regard to red blood cells and the immune system. In humans, it is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve of blood in case of hemorrhagic shock...
. She had the symptoms of acute abdomenAcute abdomenThe term acute abdomen refers to a sudden, severe abdominal pain of unclear etiology that is less than 24 hours in duration. It is in many cases a medical emergency, requiring urgent and specific diagnosis...
; nevertheless, a final diagnosis could have been made only through autopsyAutopsyAn autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
."
However, later in an interview with Radio Farda
Radio Farda
Radio Farda is the Iranian Branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's broadcast services. It broadcasts 24 hours a day in the Persian language from its headquarters Prague, Czech Republic. Radio Farda first aired December 2002. Radio Farda broadcasts political, cultural, social, and art news...
, the family denied that any doctor was involved in the efforts to save her at the clinic.
Mark Toner, a US State Department spokesman later said eyewitness and reliable accounts of Haleh Sahabi's death at her father's funeral in Iran made it clear that Ms Sahabi died as a result of reprehensible actions taken by Iranian security forces.
On the other hand, the government insisted that Sahabi died of natural causes. The head of security at the Tehran governor's office, Alireza Janeh, denied there were any clashes at the funeral and stated Sahabi had died of heart problems exacerbated by "stress and hot weather". However, Tehran's temperature is reported to have been only 26 degrees Celsius at 6am and 28 degrees at 7am. Iranian government media have also stated Sahahbi died of "heart problems," and deny that there were any clashes between mourners and security forces, however the state-run IRNA news agency did report that security forces arrested five people who had intended to disrupt order. It did not elaborate further.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran is a non-government organization that works to bring international attention on what it views as the Iranian government’s repression of human rights and civil liberties in Iran. It is based in the United States...
issued a statement calling the incident a "tragedy,” that reveals "a deep contempt for traditions that belong to all Iranians". The campaign has called for the Iranian Judiciary to investigate the incident and to forbid physical or psychological assaults or any other form of interference by security forces at funeral observances. The governments of the US and UK have also asked the Iranian government to investigate the circumstances of Sahabi's death. Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, who had previously named her a prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, or political views...
for her detention, demanded that the Iranian government investigate her death "in full compliance with the UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions".
Burial
Sahabi was buried in a small cemetery near LavasanLavasan
Lavasan , also Romanized as Galandowak and Galandūak) is a city in and the capital of Lavasanat District, in Shemiranat County, Tehran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 15,448, in 4,645 families....
on the same evening shortly after her death. Her body was seized by the authorities immediately after death, and the authorities forced the family to attend the burial during the night time. Apparently, no autopsy was carried out to elucidate the cause of death. Only a small number of her family and friends were present in the burial. In an interview with VOA about Sahabi, Noble Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
called this practice "corpse stealing" by the Islamic republic regime.