Following first court session in Istanbul, victims' families call for prosecution of Rafsanjani and Fallahian
Mullahs' consular deputy commanded the hit squad which assassinated Zahra Rajabi and Ali Moradi

In a press conference in Istanbul yesterday morning, Mrs. Zahra Rajabi's sister and husband called on Turkish officials to prosecute all those involved in the assassination of Mrs. Rajabi and Mr. Ali Moradi. The day before, the trial of two of the mullahs' terrorists involved in the February 20 assassination began.

During the first session of the court in Istanbul, Reza Ma'soumi, one of the killers, explained the details of the murder. A member of the regime's Ministry of Intelligence, Ma'soumi said the Ministry had asked him to implement a plan to kidnap and transfer Mrs. Rajabi to Iran. Owing to the difficulties of such an operation, however, they had decided to assassinate Mrs. Rajabi instead. He added that the operation was commanded by a terrorist by the name of Nasser Sarmadi, alias Hajj Qasem, who came to Istanbul from Tehran one day before the operation and left a day after.

Mrs. Rajabi, a member of the NCR, and Mr. Moradi were assassinated by the Khomeini regime's agents on February 20, 1996. The victims were in Turkey to address the plight of Iranian refugees in that country.

Mr. Gholam-Hossein Eshqi, Mrs. Rajabi's husband, told reporters at the press conference that Mohsen Kargar Azad, the consular deputy of clerical regime's embassy commanded the hit squad, opening fire on the victims as he entered the apartment. He said police investigations show that Azad continues to be at the regime's consulate in Istanbul.

Mr. Eshqi and Mrs. Rajabi's sister took part and testified in the first session of the court proceedings for two of the killers.

Mr. Eshqi said he had told the court that four of the regime's diplomats were involved in the murder of his wife and that this terrorist operation was masterminded by the mullahs' Minister of Intelligence, Ali Fallahian, upon Rafsanjani's personal orders. It was carried out with the help of the regime's foreign ministry and embassy in Turkey, he added. Mr. Eshqi called on the Turkish government to also prosecute Rafsanjani and Fallahian, a warrant for whose arrest has been issued for involvement in murder in Germany.

The next session of the court is scheduled for June 17.

Mr. Eshqi told the media that consistent with the call by the NCR President, Mr. Massoud Rajavi, for the prosecution of all the murderers, we ask the President and government of Turkey to close down the regime's diplomatic missions in that country and not allow Turkish territory to become a hunting ground for dissidents and refugees more than it already has.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran - Paris
May 24, 1996

Back Home