The 21st session of the court hearing charges against 104 members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), as well as the organization as a legal entity, was held on October 22nd at the 11th branch of the Tehran Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Dehghani. Court advisors, the prosecutor's representative, families of the victims and their legal counsel, and the defendants' lawyers were present.
Judge Dehghani initiated the hearing by announcing a court order to identify and seize all assets belonging to the MEK. Any transaction involving the property of the defendants or the organization's legal entity is now prohibited and will be subject to seizure and legal action.
During the session, Kazemi, the plaintiff's lawyer, presented evidence related to the terrorist attack on the Iranian Prime Minister's office on August 29, 1981. He emphasized that Masoud Kashmiri, an MEK agent within the Prime Minister's office, was responsible for the explosion. This attack tragically resulted in the deaths of President Mohammad Ali Rajaee and Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar.
The lawyer explained that on Sunday, August 29, 1981, Massoud Kashmiri, an MEK agent, took advantage of the scheduled Security Council meeting, where both President Mohammad Ali Rajaee and Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar were expected to attend. An hour before the meeting, Kashmiri placed an explosive device under the table of the two officials at the meeting venue.
The lawyer then called upon Naser Bahonar, the son of Mohammad Javad Bahonar, to testify as both a plaintiff and a witness to the terrorist attack. Bahonar recounted that he was present at the scene of the incident on August 8, 1980. He described the devastating explosion that engulfed the building, leaving him and his family traumatized. He expressed the deep suffering endured by the family over the years and formally filed a complaint against the perpetrators of the crime.
Mohammad Reza Goli, a former member of the MEK, testified as an eyewitness who had personally met Massoud Kashmiri at the organization's headquarters in Iraq. According to Goli, during a meeting of MEK commanders, Massoud Rajavi introduced Kashmiri as the individual responsible for the Prime Minister's office bombing. Rajavi's intention was to prevent Kashmiri from leaving Iraq, but ultimately, Kashmiri chose to go to Germany due to ideological differences with the group.
Goli further revealed that Massoud Rajavi had publicly claimed responsibility for the attack. In a meeting held after the US designated the MEK as a terrorist group, Rajavi boasted about the bombing, stating, "When we targeted the regime's leaders on Shahrivar 8th [August 29th], the US didn't list us as a terrorist group. But now, after a decade of inactivity, we've been added to the list."
Massoud Khodabandeh, a former MEK member, testified via video call from Britain. He explained that he had met Massoud Kashmiri while working as the MEK's correspondent in Paris. Khodabandeh emphasized the close relationship between the group members and the ease with which they obtained passports under assumed identities. He noted that he himself had received a passport under the name Hamid Entezam, facilitated by Saleh Rajavi.
Khodabandeh further revealed that Massoud Rajavi often boasted about the MEK's terrorist activities, particularly the attack on the Prime Minister's office. Rajavi had publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, viewing it as a significant achievement in their struggle against the Iranian government. Khodabandeh recalled Rajavi's words, "We made the regime hopeless, we beat the heads of the regime, so that the regime falls."
Following Khodabandeh, Saleh Taskhiri, an international law researcher, took the stand. Taskhiri explained that international law mandates that states either prosecute or extradite individuals accused of terrorism. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, to which Iran is a signatory, defines protected persons and outlines prohibited acts, including murder, kidnapping, and attacks on individuals. The convention further stipulates that states must prosecute or extradite individuals suspected of committing such crimes, even if they are residing within their borders.