The presence of Tehran’s feared Prosecutor General, Saïd Mortazavi, sent a chill through the UN Human Rights Assembly in Geneva Tuesday. Several delegates noticed Said Montazavi sitting at the table with the official Iranian observer delegation. Could it really be him? The man alleged by several human rights groups of throwing journalists into prison?
The case of Zahra Kazemi, the Canadian-Iranian journalist who died in Iranian custody in 2003 has drawn particular attention. She was arrested for taking pictures outside a prison during a Tehran student protest.
Eyewitnesses said it was indeed Mortazavi
Although several eyewitnesses said it was indeed Mortazavi, even showing a photo downloaded from the Internet, InfoSud endeavoured to make sure it was not a case of mistaken identity.
After several efforts to discover if Mortazavi’s name was on the official list of delegates from Iran, UN officials protested that such information was not yet available.
Finally Guennadi Lebakine of the UN Human Rights Office confirmed the name, Said Mortazavi, was indeed on the list.
George Gordon-Lennox of the Geneva office of Reporter’s Sans Frontiers said he was shocked to hear about the man’s presence at a human rights conference.
Mortazavi is responsible for the arrest and detention of dozens of journalists
“Mortazavi is responsible for the arrest and detention of dozens of journalists over the years,” said Gordon-Lennox.
“We first learned of his possible arrival from the (official) Iranian news agency IRNA where Montazavi was said to be enroute to Geneva.”
According to IRNA, before his departure, Mortazavi said that: “Human rights, in its true sense, is a holy concept to which special attention is paid in divine cultures and religions.” “Such a concept should not be misused by some hegemonic powers,” Mortazavi added.
He should be arrested and expelled
Hamid Reza Eshaghi of the Paris-based National Council for Iranian Resistance told InfoSud that he cannot “understand how the Swiss government has given a visa to a torturer like him.”
Eshaghi was one of those who recognized Mortazavi in the Assembly room. “He should be arrested and expelled immediately......To include someone like him in the delegation is a humiliation and a challenge to the UN,” Eshaghi said.
Mortazavi’s presence in the room was confirmed by InfoSud but he left before reporters could obtain his comments.