France releases killer of Shah's last PM
Source: Agencies |
May 19, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
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A FRENCH court yesterday ordered the release of an Iranian serving a life sentence for the 1991 murder of Shahpour Bakhtiar, Iran's last prime minister under the Shah, the convicted man's lawyer said.
The decision came just two days after Iran freed French teaching assistant Clotilde Reiss, who was held on charges of spying during anti-government protests in Tehran last year.
Both countries have denied the two moves were connected, but France's opposition Socialists are unconvinced and have urged Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to answer questions about the teacher's release.
Ali Vakili Rad was convicted in 1994 of killing Bakhtiar, a Sorbonne graduate and veteran of the French resistance who fled back to France following Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution and led an opposition group in exile from Paris.
Less than three hours after the court order was issued, Vakili Rad, 51, left a prison near Paris under heavy police escort and was expected to fly to Tehran later today.
His lawyer Sorin Margulis called his release "a godsend" and added: "But this cannot be interpreted as an exchange."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suggested a prisoner swap last year if France wanted Reiss freed.
France has released prisoners in Iran-related cases in the past, including a Lebanese man convicted for attempting to assassinate Bakhtiar in Paris in 1980.
Two weeks ago, France freed an Iranian engineer who Washington wanted to extradite on charges of illegally buying electronic equipment from US firms for military use.
Vakili Rad was one of three people who assassinated Bakhtiar, whose secretary also died in the knife attack at the exiled leader's heavily guarded home in Paris.
The other two assailants escaped but Vakili Rad was arrested in neighboring Switzerland and extradited. It was widely suspected the killers were supporters of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Reiss was accused of aiding a Western plot to topple Iran's clerical regime after taking part in protests following the disputed re-election of Ahmadinejad, and posting photographs of the demonstrations on the Internet.
A former member of the French intelligence service has said Reiss did some espionage work in Iran, but the government has categorically denied this.
Bakhtiar, a scion of Iran's old tribal nobility, was educated in Lebanon and France and fought in the International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War.
Repeatedly imprisoned in Iran for opposing the shah, he was persuaded in late 1978 to head a civilian government to oppose the growing Islamic opposition under Khomeini.
Bakhtiar served just over a month as prime minister before Khomeini came to power and replaced him with Mehdi Bazargan.
The decision came just two days after Iran freed French teaching assistant Clotilde Reiss, who was held on charges of spying during anti-government protests in Tehran last year.
Both countries have denied the two moves were connected, but France's opposition Socialists are unconvinced and have urged Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to answer questions about the teacher's release.
Ali Vakili Rad was convicted in 1994 of killing Bakhtiar, a Sorbonne graduate and veteran of the French resistance who fled back to France following Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution and led an opposition group in exile from Paris.
Less than three hours after the court order was issued, Vakili Rad, 51, left a prison near Paris under heavy police escort and was expected to fly to Tehran later today.
His lawyer Sorin Margulis called his release "a godsend" and added: "But this cannot be interpreted as an exchange."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suggested a prisoner swap last year if France wanted Reiss freed.
France has released prisoners in Iran-related cases in the past, including a Lebanese man convicted for attempting to assassinate Bakhtiar in Paris in 1980.
Two weeks ago, France freed an Iranian engineer who Washington wanted to extradite on charges of illegally buying electronic equipment from US firms for military use.
Vakili Rad was one of three people who assassinated Bakhtiar, whose secretary also died in the knife attack at the exiled leader's heavily guarded home in Paris.
The other two assailants escaped but Vakili Rad was arrested in neighboring Switzerland and extradited. It was widely suspected the killers were supporters of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Reiss was accused of aiding a Western plot to topple Iran's clerical regime after taking part in protests following the disputed re-election of Ahmadinejad, and posting photographs of the demonstrations on the Internet.
A former member of the French intelligence service has said Reiss did some espionage work in Iran, but the government has categorically denied this.
Bakhtiar, a scion of Iran's old tribal nobility, was educated in Lebanon and France and fought in the International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War.
Repeatedly imprisoned in Iran for opposing the shah, he was persuaded in late 1978 to head a civilian government to oppose the growing Islamic opposition under Khomeini.
Bakhtiar served just over a month as prime minister before Khomeini came to power and replaced him with Mehdi Bazargan.
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