The Shah's Iran - Rise and Fall: Conversations With an Insider by Abdolreza Ansari

Author:Abdolreza Ansari [Ansari, Abdolreza]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Personal Memoirs, History, Middle East, General, Political Science, Political Process
ISBN: 9781784536329
Google: 7_PMjgEACAAJ
Goodreads: 29146190
Publisher: I.B. Tauris
Published: 2017-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

What was your decision concerning this request?

A.A.: My position was that such decisions regarding changes to local customs had to be made by community elders rather than the government. Intrusions in such contexts would be a deviation from the normal duties of government officials. By citing examples, I was able to convince them that the role of the government did not extend to meddling in the way people lived their lives. After the meeting, we went to visit the cemetery that was located in the centre of the city. An area of a few thousand square metres was enclosed by a mud wall, and in the centre was a small structure with open sides. We were told that the structure was being used to keep the corpses of affluent people while arrangements were made to transport their bodies to Shi’i holy places such as Mashhad in north-east Iran or Karbala in Iraq. Apparently, the bodies would frequently be left for several days, and as they decomposed, a stench would envelop the city. It was obvious that another location for a new cemetery had to be found. After consultation with the elders, it was decided that a piece of unused property belonging to the state, on the outskirts of the city, would be designated for this purpose, and I pledged that funds would be provided to develop the site under the supervision of the Governor.

Our next visit in Behbahan was to the local jail. Three or four inmates were being held on theft and smuggling charges and one for unpaid debt. I requested to see the inmate held for the unpaid debt. The jail was basically a house, and this old man with sun-stricken, wrinkled skin and lifeless eyes was being held in the basement. I asked him why he was being held and for how long. He said that he had been unable to pay a 300-toman ($40) instalment to his landlord, and had been in jail for the past three months. The sight of this old man left us all upset and bewildered. I asked the judge who was accompanying us if the statement was true and if he would be released upon payment of the debt; the answer to both questions was ‘yes’. I said that I would personally take care of the debt and asked that he be released. When the old man realised that he could leave, he knelt on the floor to kiss the feet of those present. I will never forget this episode. I asked the photographer who was travelling with us to take some pictures and send them to my office. It occurred to me that this situation was probably not unique and that there were similar cases across the province. We addressed this issue, as I will explain later.

When we returned to Ahvaz, I went to visit the local jail at the first opportunity. The conditions were dismal; 1,100 inmates were being held in a facility with a capacity of 300. Inmates

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