Brother of Slain Protester Talks about Media & Opposition Leader

18 , June , 2010

If, in the past, I thought that some politicians were different, today I have come to believe that all politicians are almost the same and do not care about the people.

RAHANA – Before being killed by a gunshot near a Basij station on June 15, 2009, Moharram Chagini lived with his family in a working class neighborhood in Southern Tehran. One year after his death, Moharram’s brother Alim talked to Jaras’ Masih Alinejad about his family’s ordeal and their sorrows; how they have asked repeatedly to meet with opposition leaders but never received any replies to their requests; and how his repeated efforts to get the word out about a working class martyr were ignored by the media inside and outside of Iran.
The following is the English translation of the interview.
Mr. Chagini, a year has passed since your brother was killed during a protest on June 15, 2009. From the day the body of your brother was handed to you at the morgue to now, with the judicial authorities still refusing to tell your family who killed your brother, what is your most bitter memory?
There are plenty of bitter memories, and we have experienced them one by one; the day my brother was shot outside the Meghdad Basij Station on Azadi Avenue, but his body was dropped off in the suburbs; the night I had to give an undertaking to bury the body without telling the public we had done so; the day we found out that, instead of finding my brother’s killer, they wanted to silence us by paying blood money; and the day I realized no one was going to be accountable.
Can you give us an example of how the media coverage can help ease the pain of the families of slain protesters?
3 nights after we found out that Moharram had been shot during the protest, we identified his body at the Kahrizak morgue. Right then, and in spite of the fear that reigned in the country, I called certain journalists in Iran as well as some who worked for the media outside the country. I told them, “They killed my brother. I want the world to know that they killed my brother for protesting. In order to prove my word, I even told them that Moharram’s name was on a list published by the Norooz website [a website close to the Islamic Participation Front]. I told them that I would send the video footage we had obtained which showed how my brother was killed. With the intermediary of a few journalists who were inside the country and had visited our house, I sent the video footage of my brother being shot to the BBC and VOA. I don’t know why they all failed to hear our voice. This was the beginning of our isolation and a reason to no longer trust anyone.
Perhaps it was difficult for journalists to confirm the authenticity of the evidence or to be sure that you were Moharram’s real brother, and that your words could not be used later to discredit the family.
I even gave all of our phone numbers to the television stations I contacted; it wouldn’t have been hard for them to confirm our information through the people [journalists] who used to come to our house those days. But what can you expect? At the end of the day, they were only doing their job. We were all saddened after watching the video showing Neda’s death. It was thanks to the journalists that the world became aware of her death, but I keep asking myself why none of the networks that showed Neda’s death hundreds of times ever showed my brother who had been killed before Neda.
How do you answer your own question? Why did Neda become a symbol whereas there was no mention of Moharram or other martyrs?
I don’t know. There could be many reasons. I have a lot of respect for Neda. After seeing the footage of my brother being carried by the crowd, and when I did not see any videos or pictures of him on the Iranian or the international media, Neda became a symbol to me too. But all I want to say is that, when the people, the journalists and even the movement’s leadership only mention the name of one martyr, the result is that Ahmadinejad and Mottaki are only confronted with Neda’s pictures when they travel to other countries. It is not difficult for Ahmadinejad and Mottaki to deny the martyrdom of one person. Why did the people fail to act in a way that would lead to Ahmadinejad being confronted with a hundred pictures instead of one? Our government is well aware that no matter where they go, they will be asked about Neda; therefore, they have prepared answers for that particular question. However, it will be impossible for them to continue their denial if they know that, inside and outside of Iran, people are carrying hundreds of pictures – that they will be asked about each and every killed protester. They will no longer be able to claim that all these martyrs were killed by the Americans, the Israelis or the MKO.
Have you ever asked to meet with Ahmadinejad and his cabinet members to tell them what you have just told me?

Throughout the past 12 months, I have tried to meet with Mousavi. I had many things to tell him and Karroubi. Unfortunately, I never received an answer. If, in the past, I thought that some politicians were different, today I have come to believe that all politicians are almost the same and do not care about the people.
Mousavi does not hold any official office; why do you want to meet with someone who has no power instead of meeting with the authorities?
During the past year, we have gone through some very hard times. I wanted – had – to tell Mousavi that when he never calls on the families of the martyrs, it proves that his way is no different than that of Ahmadinejad and others. They all need the people… until they gain power.
Will you publish what I say? Now that I have not been able to talk to Mr. Mousavi face-to-face, I want you to publish these words so that they reach his ears.
They will be published in their entirety. Please tell us what the most important point is that you want Mr. Mousavi to know.
I want to say that it is as if I know in advance how the story will end: that Mousavi and Karroubi will step aside and the government will emerge more powerful. Maybe Mousavi and Karoubi’s resignation will be admired by some people, but it means that the blood of the young people who come out for change and perseverance will be wasted.
As someone whose brother was killed during a protest, do you believe that Mousavi and Karroubi should be held accountable if they call on people to come out even though they risk being killed?
Look, Fars News [news agency with close ties to the IRGC] has offered to interview us. The government has announced that 36 people were killed during the post-election protests, and the Martyrs Foundation has selectively called some of the families, declaring them as families of martyrs. Now they are trying to convince some of these 36 families to press charges against Mousavi and Karoubi. They don’t name Karoubi and Mousavi specifically, but tell us to press charges against the leaders of the sedition. Even if we pressed charges and they, as a result, did go to prison, they would be released later. This way, the government would prove to the people that it is powerful and the movement’s leadership would be forced to retreat and desert the people.
You live in Southern Tehran. It is often said that most of the residents of Southern Tehran are Ahmadinejad supporters, but your brother was one those residents who was killed after protesting. What do you have to say to those who argue that the Green Movement is an uptown movement?
My brother was from Southern Tehran, where the basic requirements for a simple life are non-existent, and yet he went out to protest. But, given that Iranian society is a traditional and religious society, the state media always takes advantage of the people’s religious and traditional sentiments and only broadcasts footage showing young people dancing and cheering. For example, they show images of women who don’t respect the Islamic hijab, to prove that Mousavi’s supporters are bunch of spoiled brats who want to promote nudity and eliminate the Islamic hijab. This is how they [the state media] have been manipulating a religious society in the name of Islam. The [state] television has shown so many such images that, sometimes, religious people perceive us as being infected with the plague and distance themselves from us. We are not infidels, but we have a different religion than those who killed my brother and refuse to be held accountable for it. Many people get offended if they see their religious beliefs and Islam insulted, and this why the government tries to depict us, the Greens, as a group fighting Islam.
Let’s go back to the video that shows people carrying his wounded body. You are right to say that the world has not seen the video, but tell us how it transformed your family’s world.
A lot; apparently two British television networks showed it once or twice, but, believe me, it is extremely hard to watch a film showing your loved one die among the crowd. Unfortunately, people have short memories and forget everything. We should not expect too much from the people, but whenever I compare this June 15th with last year’s, my heart fills with sadness. Last year I was in the streets, and I witnessed the streets of Tehran turn into Karbala [the place of Imam Hossein’s martyrdom]. Bodies [of dead protesters] were lined up on sidewalks and covered with cloths. This year people came out, but it was different than last year. There are times when I think that we Iranians have only ourselves to blame for all the oppression we have been subjected to. Why did we simply forget last year’s atrocities? Why did we forget that, for a long time, they [the authorities] refused to even release the bodies of the protesters to their families?
In your opinion, why did people come out last year even though there was no rally permit, yet this year they didn’t?
I agree that the mood was very emotional last year. When people saw that their votes had been stolen, they became upset. What followed and what people witnessed with their own eyes angered them. That is why they took part in protests in large numbers. Even Mousavi and Karroubi used to come out to the streets despite the lack of rally permits. In my opinion, leading a movement means that the leaders should put their lives on the line and come out to the streets… but it looks like these days everything has changed.
And your last word?
Iran needs to rebuild its culture; people need to change. More than needing leaders, we need people who don’t look at us as though we are infected with the plague.