Asadollah Lajevardi
Encyclopedia
Asadollah Lajevardi, (1935-August 22, 1998) was the warden of the Evin Prison
in Tehran
Iran
from June 1981 until 1985 when he was replaced due to complaints of other clergy. He was assassinated by supporters of the People's Mujahedin of Iran
on August 22, 1998.
(the Israeli airline) in Tehran. Finally, he was once again arrested and convicted of 18 years in prison, for being a member of the militant group People's Mujahedin of Iran
.
, he was appointed the chief prosecutor of Tehran. Lajevardi was given the added post of warden in June 1981 after the first post-revolutionary warden of Evin, Mohammad Kachouyi, was assassinated. According to Ervand Abrahamian, Lajevardi "liked to be addressed as Hajj Aqa, and boasted he was so proud of Evin that he had brought his family to live there."
He was temporarily removed from his post in 1984, but continued to live at Evin with his family to avoid assassination.
Ladjevardi maintained that the Islamic Republic had converted prisons into `rehabilitation centers` and `ideological schools`, where inmates studied Islam, learned the errors of their ways, and did penance before returning to society. As the chief warden at Evin - the main political prison in Tehran - Ladjevardi "boasted that more than 95% of his `guests` eventually oblige him with his sought-after videotaped `interview`" i.e. a confession of their political errors and praise of the Islamic Republic and the prison staff.
However to his critics he was known as "the butcher of Evin Prison
". He was said to have been personally responsible for the torture
and execution of thousands of Iran
ian political prisoner
s who opposed the ruling theocratic government of Iran. Prisoner interview/confessions were reportedly induced by systematic torture, and the number of executions under his supervision is estimated to be roughly around 2500 according to one account. In her memoir, Iran Awakening, Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate
Shirin Ebadi
states that an estimated 4000-5000 members and supporters of the People's Mujahedin of Iran
(MKO) were executed during a three-month period in 1988 immediately following the failed "Mersad
" rebellion, which was launched upon the end of the Iran–Iraq War by MKO fighters based in Iraq
.
Prison conditions under Lajevardi were also said to be harsher than those during the Shah's reign. One inmate, writing anonymously reckoned four months under Lajevardi took the toll of four years under SAVAK.
. Using an uzi submachine gun the killers struck Lajevardi and his bodyguard (who was also killed) at Lajevardi's tailor-shop in Tehran Bazaar.
Following his assassination, the Mojahedin Command Headquarters inside Iran issued a statement which said
The statement, claimed Lajevardi
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...
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...
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...
from June 1981 until 1985 when he was replaced due to complaints of other clergy. He was assassinated by supporters of the People's Mujahedin of Iran
People's Mujahedin of Iran
The People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....
on August 22, 1998.
Career
Asadollah Lajevardi was born in Tehran on 1935. He studied theological sciences before working as a bazaar draper. He was a follower of Ayatollah Kashani and Fadayian Islam. He was arrested and convicted on three occasions for militant activities. In 1964, he served 18 months for taking part in the assassination of the late Iranian prime minster Mansour. Later in 1970, he served three years in Evin prison for attempting to blow up the offices of El AlEl Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
(the Israeli airline) in Tehran. Finally, he was once again arrested and convicted of 18 years in prison, for being a member of the militant group People's Mujahedin of Iran
People's Mujahedin of Iran
The People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....
.
Warden
In 1979, with the onset of the Iranian RevolutionIranian 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...
, he was appointed the chief prosecutor of Tehran. Lajevardi was given the added post of warden in June 1981 after the first post-revolutionary warden of Evin, Mohammad Kachouyi, was assassinated. According to Ervand Abrahamian, Lajevardi "liked to be addressed as Hajj Aqa, and boasted he was so proud of Evin that he had brought his family to live there."
He was temporarily removed from his post in 1984, but continued to live at Evin with his family to avoid assassination.
Ladjevardi maintained that the Islamic Republic had converted prisons into `rehabilitation centers` and `ideological schools`, where inmates studied Islam, learned the errors of their ways, and did penance before returning to society. As the chief warden at Evin - the main political prison in Tehran - Ladjevardi "boasted that more than 95% of his `guests` eventually oblige him with his sought-after videotaped `interview`" i.e. a confession of their political errors and praise of the Islamic Republic and the prison staff.
However to his critics he was known as "the butcher of 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...
". He was said to have been personally responsible for the torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
and execution of thousands 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...
ian political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s who opposed the ruling theocratic government of Iran. Prisoner interview/confessions were reportedly induced by systematic torture, and the number of executions under his supervision is estimated to be roughly around 2500 according to one account. In her memoir, Iran Awakening, Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
Laureate
Laureate
In English, the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary or military glory. It is also used for winners of the Nobel Prize.-History:...
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,...
states that an estimated 4000-5000 members and supporters of the People's Mujahedin of Iran
People's Mujahedin of Iran
The People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....
(MKO) were executed during a three-month period in 1988 immediately following the failed "Mersad
Operation Mersad
Operation Mersad was the name given by the Iranian government to its successful counterattack against a July 1988 military incursion from Iraq by a military force of about 7000 members of the People's Mujahedin of Iran, armed and equipped and given air support by Saddam's Iraq...
" rebellion, which was launched upon the end of the Iran–Iraq War by MKO fighters based in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Prison conditions under Lajevardi were also said to be harsher than those during the Shah's reign. One inmate, writing anonymously reckoned four months under Lajevardi took the toll of four years under SAVAK.
Assassination
On August 22, 1998, the ten-year anniversary of the mass executions Ladjevardi was assassinated by supporters of the People's Mujahedin of IranPeople's Mujahedin of Iran
The People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....
. Using an uzi submachine gun the killers struck Lajevardi and his bodyguard (who was also killed) at Lajevardi's tailor-shop in Tehran Bazaar.
Following his assassination, the Mojahedin Command Headquarters inside Iran issued a statement which said
"Assadollah Lajevardi, the infamous 'Butcher of Evin,' who was accompanied by a special group of bodyguards made up of Revolutionary Guards and armed agents of the notorious secret police, the Ministry of Intelligence, was killed at midday today in an operation carried out by Mojahedin's Resistance units in Tehran."
The statement, claimed Lajevardi
was directly responsible for the execution of tens of thousands of political prisoners ... raped or executed hundreds of women ... made it a common practice in prisons to torture prisoners in front of their parents, husbands or wives and children ... devised a plan to set up forced labor camps for political prisoners on a nation-wide scale ...and though retired was continuing "his crimes under various covers" including as a tailor in Tehran's Bazaar.