Dear Members of the Iranian Delegation of the German Bundestag
I have heard from acquaintances about the impending trip of the delegation of German Bundestag members to Iran and the planned meeting with Members of Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran and have decided to contact you by way of this letter.
My name is Parastou Forouhar, the daughter of Dariush and Parvaneh Forouhar who were opposition politicians that were murdered as part of a series of political assassinations in Tehran in the autumn of 1998.
As you may already be aware, the secret service admitted to being part of the series of assassinations in an official letter dated the 5th of January 1999. The subsequent investigations by the relevant legal authorities into the backgrounds and perpetrators of the crimes have however remained incomplete in several important respects. This is why we, the family members of those murdered, have chosen not to recognise the court proceedings and did not take part in them. The court delivered sentences on the 27th of January 2001 that ignored the political status of the murders as many had expected.
We, the family members, turned to the Parliament during this process, and brought a written indictment to the “Commission for Article 90 of the German constitution”.
Consequently we were invited to be heard twice. In a second letter, we provided detailed justification for our action. I enclose both pieces of writing alongside an overview of the whole course of proceedings since my parents’ murder. The members of this commission voiced their criticisms of the previous work carried out by the authorities in this case and promised us their support.
On the 18th of August 2001 it was officially announced that the verdicts would be revised by a higher authority, the High Court of Justice, and the given explanation was that the proceedings were “inadequate”.
Although this development is to be seen as a positive one, the case file has not been re-opened since then. I was in Tehran from the 10th of November to the 10th of December for this very reason and despite repeated enquiries and requests to the authorities, I received no information.
In this situation, an initiative by the Iranian parliamentarians could bring us closer to solving these political murders.
Any reply on your part that can lend weight to the requirements of the situation represents important support for us, the family members of the victims, and also to the countless people in Iran who hope for democracy and constitutionality.
In the hope of your support, I remain yours sincerely,
Parastou Forouhar
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