Hamid Reza Chitgar
Encyclopedia
Hamid Reza Chitgar also known as Hamid Bahmani, was an exiled Iranian politician who lived in France after the Iranian Revolution in 1979
and was assassinated in Austria by the Iranian regime.
in the Mazandaran province of Iran
in 1949. After finishing his engineering studies in Tehran
, he pursued his Master’s in Strasbourg
, France in the mid 1970’s.
He returned in Iran and was politically active during and after the revolution. He was once arrested by the Revolutionary Guards in March, 1981 for the publications of his publishing house (which published political and non-political materials). He was taken to the Evin prison
and soon taken back to his printing house in order to lure other political activists. He was able to escape and lived underground for 6 months before fleeing to France in 1983 where he obtained political asylum.
(Labor Party of Iran). During his stay in France, he distanced himself from the idea of armed resistance. He was the representative of the Labor Party in the National Resistance Council and was a member of the Council before his assassination.
He was married and had one daughter.
, Austria. Mr. Chitgar who never traveled alone and did not trust his interlocutor tried to find friends to travel with him. For various reasons, no one was available and Mr. Chitgar decided to go alone. On May 19, 1987 he traveled to Vienna to meet with this man.
His wife didn’t receive any news from him and after a few days, began to look for him and alerted the Austrian police. The efforts of his wife and family proved fruitless until the neighbors of the apartment, where Mr. Chitgar was murdered, complained about the odor and police discovered his body on July 17, two months after the murder. He had been shot twice in the back of his head. According to the Austrian police, the apartment had been rented by an individual with a Turkish
passport for three months. The rent has been paid in full. The efforts of the family’s lawyer to encourage the investigation and obtain more information were not successful. The Austrian authorities noted that investigation in the case of Mr. Chitgar’s assassination was difficult because the agent of the Islamic Republic had a Turkish passport and did not need a visa to come to Austria. No other information was given to the family.
The assassination was widely reported in the local press and caused a wave of protests by Iranian and European political groups. Mr. Hamid Reza Chitgar’s body was buried in the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris
on August 8, 1987.
-born dutch
film
maker Reza Allamehzadeh
made a documentary on state terrorism
of the Islamic government of Iran
in European countries, Holy Crime, where the case of Mr Chitgar was presented amongst many others, such as Iran's former prime minister Shapour Bakhtiar
who had also been assassinated during his French exile .
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
and was assassinated in Austria by the Iranian regime.
Early life
Hamid Reza Chitgar was born in the town of BabolBabol
Babol is a city in and the capital of Babol County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 198,636, in 55,943 families....
in the Mazandaran province of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
in 1949. After finishing his engineering studies in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, he pursued his Master’s in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, France in the mid 1970’s.
He returned in Iran and was politically active during and after the revolution. He was once arrested by the Revolutionary Guards in March, 1981 for the publications of his publishing house (which published political and non-political materials). He was taken to the Evin prison
Evin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
and soon taken back to his printing house in order to lure other political activists. He was able to escape and lived underground for 6 months before fleeing to France in 1983 where he obtained political asylum.
Exile
Mr. Chitgar was a member in the leadership of the Hezb-e KarLabour Party of Iran
The Labour Party of Iran is a Hoxhaist Communist party whose leadership is currently exiled in Germany. It is against the Iranian government and is a member of the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations ....
(Labor Party of Iran). During his stay in France, he distanced himself from the idea of armed resistance. He was the representative of the Labor Party in the National Resistance Council and was a member of the Council before his assassination.
He was married and had one daughter.
Assassination
According to a close source, a man named Ali Amiztab corresponded with Mr. Chitgar from Iran a couple of years before his murder and established a regular contact with him. In his letters, he wrote about establishing a group of sympathizers of the Labor Party in Iran. Finally, he asked to meet Mr. Chitgar in person and set up a meeting in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria. Mr. Chitgar who never traveled alone and did not trust his interlocutor tried to find friends to travel with him. For various reasons, no one was available and Mr. Chitgar decided to go alone. On May 19, 1987 he traveled to Vienna to meet with this man.
His wife didn’t receive any news from him and after a few days, began to look for him and alerted the Austrian police. The efforts of his wife and family proved fruitless until the neighbors of the apartment, where Mr. Chitgar was murdered, complained about the odor and police discovered his body on July 17, two months after the murder. He had been shot twice in the back of his head. According to the Austrian police, the apartment had been rented by an individual with a Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
passport for three months. The rent has been paid in full. The efforts of the family’s lawyer to encourage the investigation and obtain more information were not successful. The Austrian authorities noted that investigation in the case of Mr. Chitgar’s assassination was difficult because the agent of the Islamic Republic had a Turkish passport and did not need a visa to come to Austria. No other information was given to the family.
The assassination was widely reported in the local press and caused a wave of protests by Iranian and European political groups. Mr. Hamid Reza Chitgar’s body was buried in the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on August 8, 1987.
Further investigations
IranianIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
-born dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
maker Reza Allamehzadeh
Reza Allamehzadeh
Reza Allamehzadeh is a Persian-born Dutch film-maker, film critic and writer who lives in the Netherlands. He is mostly famous because of his films about refugees, such as The Guests of Hotel Astoria , and the documentary Holy Crime , which is about the murder of opposition figures in Europe by...
made a documentary on state terrorism
State terrorism
State terrorism may refer to acts of terrorism conducted by a state against a foreign state or people. It can also refer to acts of violence by a state against its own people.-Definition:...
of the Islamic government of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
in European countries, Holy Crime, where the case of Mr Chitgar was presented amongst many others, such as Iran's former prime minister Shapour Bakhtiar
Shapour Bakhtiar
Shapour Bakhtiar was an Iranian political scientist, writer and the last Prime Minister of Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi...
who had also been assassinated during his French exile .
External links
- http://aadel.iranhrdc.org/Exe/ZyNET.exe/WRK2000006O9.txt?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=search&Index=IHRDC%20Public%20Documents&File=C%3A%5CZYIMAGE%20DATA%5CINDEX%20DATA%5CPUBLIC%5CTXT%5C2008%5C10%5C00000000%5CWRK2000006O9.txt&User=anonymous&Password=anonymous&ImageQuality=r85g16%2Fr85g16%2Fx150y150g16%2Fi500&Display=hpfrw&Back=ZyActionS&MaximumPages=5&Query=fname%3D%22WRK2000006O9.txt%22List of Assassinated Iranians abroad]
- Article published in 2010
- Holy Crime website
- Watch the entire documentary