THE GREAT TERROR
The first of the revolutionary tribunals convened secretly in Tehran on February 11, 1979 in the school where Khomeini had set up his headquarters. The first four death sentences were produced by Sadeq Khalkhali, a middle-rank cleric and a long-time follower of Khomeini's, were approved by Khomeini and were carried out in the early hours of the morning of 16 February, only five days after the victory of the revolutionary forces, on the roof of the building where Khomeini held court. All four were high-ranking commanders. Other death sentences quickly followed. By 14 March, when there was a brief hiatus in the work of the revolutionary courts, 70 persons had been put to death. The revolutionary courts resumed their work on 6 April. By early November, over 550 persons had faced the firing squads. By the end of 1979 twice that figure had been summarily executed in Shiraz, Qom, Yazd, Isfahan, Mashad, Tabriz and smaller towns and villages.... |
