Mother Najieh Peyvandi(Mother Panahi)
Mother Najieh Peyvandi, Mother Panahi, was born in Tabriz in 1303 (1924) and passed away in Tehran in Shahrivar 1393 (Aug.-Sep. 2014). Mother Peyvandi was a retired teacher and was the mother of Mehrdad Panahi Shabestari who was executed by firing squad in Evin Prison in Shahrivar 1367 (Aug.-Sep. 1988) and buried in one of the mass graves in Khavaran together with many other political prisoners who were executed simultaneously with him in Evin Prison. The agents of the Islamic regime of Iran regularly tormented and persecuted Mother Panahi as long as her son Mehrdad was in prison.
Mother Peyvandi regularly visited the Khavaran Cemetery every Friday morning for twenty-five years in order to keep alive the memory of her son until sickness took the strength away from her to visit Khavaran. The agents of the Islamic regime threatened, arrested, summoned and interrogated Mother Peyvandi because she regularly visited Khavaran. Mother Panahi never ceased to seek justice for her son.
Mehrdad Panahi Shabestari
Mehrdad Panahi Shabestari, son of Najieh Peyvandi and Hassan Panahi Shabestari, was born in Tehran in 1334 (1955). Mehrdad was married and a student of the Tehran Institute of Commerce. The security agents of the Islamic regime arrested Mehrdad in Dey 1362 (Dec.-Jan. 1983-84) for being active in relation with Organization of People´s Fadai Guerrillas (minority faction). After torturing him in Evin Prison, they sentenced him to three-year imprisonment in Farvardin 1365 (March 1986) in a trial lasting few minutes, in the absence of a lawyer and without the right to defend himself. While only a few months remained from completion of his sentence, they took Mehrdad before the death commission on 09 Shahrivar 1367 (31 Aug. 1988) and after asking him a few questions, executed him by firing squad. They secretly buried Mehrdad’s body in Khavaran in one of the mass graves together with many other poltical prisoners who were executed the same day in Evin Prison, without informing their families. Mehrdad remained imprisoned in wing 6 of the training center of Evin Prison until the day of his execution.
Texted: June 2014/Translated: February 2021