A Multi-Factorial Equation: Akbar Ganji…
Who is
investigative journalist Akbar Ganji, the most prominent
political prisoner of Iran who wrote the book “Dungeon of
Ghosts” in which he implicated Hashemi Rafsanjani and other
conservative state officials in the killing of 5
intellectual writers in 1998 in Iran and therefore is
claimed to play a big role in the defeat of conservatives in
the Parliamentary Elections held in February 2000?
Akbar Ganji,
who was deemed to be deserving the award of “2006 Golden Pen
of Freedom” by World Journalists Association and the “Martin
Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders” for defending human
rights and democracy in Iran and was described as “the
symbol of human rights movement” by the International Human
Rights Federation (FIDH) and The World Organization Against
Torture (OMCT) and was named “Iran’s Icon” in an editorial
on 28 March 2006 issue of The Wall Street Journal that wrote
“successful democratic revolutions tend to have iconic
figures; just as Nelson Mandela in South Africa, Lech
Walesa in Poland, Akbar Ganji became the emblem of the
suffering of his people in Iran”, was born and grown up as
son of an average civil servant working at an ordinary
petrol station.
Ganji was one
of the thosusands of protesters on streets in the years of
revolution and he joined the army after the creation of the
Revolutionary Guards. After he served in this force for a
couple of years, he was appointed Cultural Attaché to Iran’s
Embassy in Ankara by the Ministry of Culture for which he
worked during the first years of Islamic Revolution (early
80’s). Moreover Ganji was on friendly terms with people like
Saeid Hajjaryan, founder of the intelligence unit of the
Iranian Prime Ministry at that time. This friendship was
convincing for people to believe that Ganji was a
significant senior member of the Ministry of Intelligence.
However, after the end of the war between Iran and Iraq and
Ganji entered university, his opinions underwent a change
process (in his own words). Thus, a former
revolutionary guard and an active member of Iranian
intelligence, Ganji gradually put his former opinions on the
shelf beginning from 1990, and he started to tell things
that were not actually new but had a ‘pungent’ manner
regarding politics, law, sociology and religion. Without
losing time, Akbar Ganji joined a new movement called Kiyan
and in which Khatemi, Shamsoalvaezin and leftist
intellectuals were active. Abdolkarim Soroush, a prominent
religious intellectual and influential constructive member
of cultural revolution, was supporting this movement with
his opinions. With the first election victory of Mohammed
Khatemi, Ganji, being among Khatemi’s friends, this time
raised the revolution flag with the new President of the
republic. Ganji was arrested in this period for giving a
seminar on “Sectarian Fascism” in the University of Shiraz.
Two years later, Ganji came on the agenda with two books
titled “The Dark House Of Ghosts” and “Red and Grey
Eminences” during the sixth Parliamentary elections of Iran.
The writer explained serial political murders based on his
own knowledge and gave clues for the discovery of suspects
in these books. This event opened a new door to reformists
whose hopes relied on reforms and also resulted in the
victory of reformists in gaining the Sixth Parliament with a
clear difference. Finally, journalist, writer, extremist
intellectual and former revolutionary guard and an
insignificant relative (!) of the founders of intelligence
ministry Akbar Ganji was arrested following his return to
country after attending a conference on “Iran After The
Elections” held in Berlin .
The first trial
ruled 10 years sentence for Ganji. But, the file was
reviewed two years later and his sentence was reduced two 6
months. The early retirement decision of Bakhshi, the judge
who heard this case, a few days later, revived the memory of
collective retirement of the judges in Italy who were
frightened about hearing the case of a Mafia Head. The new
judge appointed to this court ruled a 6 years sentence for
Ganji. This great intellectual never made concessions on is
new stand in prison and wrote the “Republicanism Manifesto”.
Following this manifesto, the second volume, which he was
permitted to write in “Evin Prison” and which was more
interestingly taken out, was published after going through
strict censorship filters of Islamic Ershad (Guidance)
Ministry. a political figure living in Iran had for the
first time targeted the leader, namely Khameneyi, with the
statements in the second volume of the Manifesto.
This journalist
did not remain silent in the 9th Parliamentary
elections and by starting a hunger strike he called everyone
to boycott the elections. Meanwhile Ganji came home on leave
to take a rest for a few days and he explained in his
statements to international press that “He wanted the
foundation of a secular state!! (a change to this extent
beats all) instead of Islamic Republic of Iran””. Being
resent to prison after these statements, Ganji started
hunger strike for the second time that lasted for 70 days.
Getting support from leaders such as Bush and Kofi Annan in
July and August 2005, this time Ganji ended his strike.
During his
hunger strike, Ganji wrote letters to Montazeri and Doctor
Abdolkarim Sorush as well as to free people of the world and
told that “he had a call for Iranian regime for Khameneyi’s
leaving his leadership” and he also underlined that the
leader should be elected by people. Ganji merely did not
care about a statement and a rule made by Ayetollah Mesbah
Yazdi that “Everyone who wants to change the Islamic
order is condemned to death”… Now everyone wonders how
those statements could be made such easily. Even the most
passive opposition elements in the country are subjected to
a great pressure, ordinary opponents and those who did not
do military service are not given passports at least for two
years and also opponents have to go and give their
signatures to security forces in their region; and everyone
who knows these facts are confused. I wonder if Akbar Ganji
should be considered an exception.
Today Ganji
still continues to play the role given to him… This renowned
intellectual was released from prison on March 17th
this year and interestingly he took his passport again and
went abroad to collect awards. Then… he performs another
hunger strike scenario…
