Position during 1988 massacre: Director General of the Ministry of Intelligence in Gilan Province; member of Rasht “Death Commission”

Present post and occupation: Member of executive board of a construction company in Bandar Anzali (adjacent to Rasht)

He was the prison warden of Bandar Anzali from 1981 to 1985. He was transferred to the prosecutor’s office in 1985 and subsequently to the Ministry of Intelligence.

He was Director General of the Ministry of Intelligence in Gilan Province in 1988 at the time of the mass executions.

Ms Shayeste Vatandoost, a political prisoner, has testified that Hossein Moayed Abedi, as the representative of the Intelligence Ministry, was one of the individuals in charge of mass executions of political prisoners in the Naval Prison of Rasht.

Regarding the mass executions in the women’s ward of the Naval Prison of Rasht, Ms Vatandoost said: “Only two inmates were summoned for the ‘tribunal’: Faranak Tavoosi and Maryam Vahedi. They were summoned at 9 and 10 am of 30 July 1988. When they returned to the ward they said that Abedi and two other individuals whom they could not establish the identity, asked them three questions without being blindfolded. The two girls thought the questions were raised for their release. The questions were as follows: What is your view of Monafeqin Organization? (Monafeqin is the regime’s derogatory term for the PMOI). What is your view of Islamic Republic? Are you willing to repent before television? Faranak was supposed to be released in a month on 7 September 1988. Mahnaz was just arrested and was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment.”

According to Ms Vatandoost, the two were executed alongside 24 others, including Shahin Samai, who was not summoned before this court or the ‘Death Commission’.