Each chapter is headed by a quote from Iranian satirist,
Hadi Khorsandi and the quote for For Chapter relates to killer’s remark:
Terrorists nowadays! It’s not
enough that they kill you; they must also insult you as they do it.
The other quotes equally have a bite to them.
The Kurds of Berlin and the rest of Europe were immediately
convinced that the murders were committed by agents of the Iranian Intelligence
Services who were killing Iranian dissidents around the world who had been
marked for death by the late Ayatollah Khomeini.
German police are less certain. The German government would
prefer that the killers were part of the armed section of the violent Kurdish
PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party).
While the killers swiftly exit Germany the other two members
(Youseff Amin and Abbas Rhayel) of the killing quartet need time to ready
themselves to leave the country as they require new passports. Intelligence
tips from Britain and the BfV (the federal office for the protection of the
constitution) lead the police to the pair and they are arrested before they can
depart the country.
The organizer and financier (instructions and funding came
from Iran) whose cover was a Berlin grocer (Kazem Darabi) was also arrested.
Once in custody Youssef , the watchman for the killers,
provides valuable information on the assassination.
Bruno Jost, the federal prosecutor, assigned to the case is
a dedicated, meticulous, incorruptible lawyer determined to build a case not
only against the arrested trio but the Government of Iran. He assembles 187
volumes of evidence.
While the actual evidence of guilt is overwhelming many
Kurdish exiles doubt there will be a trial. There have been too many examples
in Europe during the 1980’s of governments either perfunctorily investigating
the deaths of Iranian dissidents or making deals that allow them to go back to
Iran. With Germany becoming Iran’s largest European trading partner there is
great pressure within the German government to quietly make the prosecution go
away.
The laying of the charges is a triumph for the integrity of
the German Department of Justice.
While the roles and actions of the lawyers were of the
greatest interest to me a large section of the book is focused on the lives of
leading dissidents and Shohreh Dehkordi, the widow of Noori Dehkordi, one of
those slain.
Amidst doubt the killers would be tried and then doubt there
would be an actual verdict the activists persevered in publicizing the case and
participating in the trial.
The actual trial consumed 4 years with the court sitting two
days each week. I had not known that a major German criminal trial would
involve 5 judges. The questioning is essentially done by the judges. It is a
torturous process though, when there are judges of ability, there is a thorough
examination of the evidence.
There were lawyers for the victims who, under German law,
take part in the case. Hans Ehrig provided years of representation pro bono for
the victims.
The book provided a great view of how a German trial
patiently searches for the truth.
I would have preferred the author to concentrate on one of
the groups rather than trying to the stories of the victims, the prosecutors
and the lead judge. Telling all the stories diluted the focus of the book.
As I read the book it was like a good mystery. There were
bad guys being controlled by a dangerous foreign power. There were victims
essentially powerless in the swirling machinations of international politics.
There was a dedicated prosecutor and an honest head judge. The intrigues and
twists near the end of the trial rival those of skilled writers of crime
fiction.
I found myself eager to know if there would be a verdict. Would
the trial be prematurely ended by negotiations between the Iranian and German
governments?
Having just finished The
Kill Room by Jeffery Deaver which dealt with the U.S. Government
arbitrarily killing those it identifies as its enemies in foreign lands it was
very interesting to see how the issue had been dealt with in a trial a
generation ago in Europe when it was the Iranian government which was arranging
and carrying out the killing of its citizens outside Iran.
I had forgotten about the murderous actions of the Iranian government
though they were but 20 years in the past. Iran was rightly condemned. What
will history say about America 20 years from now?
Hakakian has written a good book. In my next post I shall discuss
this case and two other German cases spanning a century. (Aug. 21/13)
Bill - It really does sound like a solid look at both the era and the events. And it does sound as though the book provides a close look at how the German trial system works.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. It is a book that will make you think about terrorism and courts.
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