Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

After his candidacy in the 2013 presidential election, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf addressed a gathering of Basijis where he admitted to his role in suppressing students protesting the attack on the University of Tehran dormitory in 1999 and his participation in writing a threatening letter from IRGC commanders to then-President Mohammad Khatami to suppress students. In the speech published on the 15 May 2013 by the Kaleme website, explicitly speaks of his direct role in beating the protesting students:

“When the 1999 incident took place in the Tehran university dormitory, that famous letter was written by me and Mr. Soleimani… At that time, when they [the protesters] marched into the streets, I was the commander of the IRGC Air Force. My photo is out there on a motorcycle with a "wooden stick" ... I stayed on the street to wrap them up. Where it is necessary to come to the street and beat them up, we are those holding a stick. And we are proud of that.”

Ghalibaf defends himself in Basij base: I obtained the permission for the military presence and shooting at the university dormitory, Kaleme website, May 15, 2013

https://www.kaleme.com/1392/02/25/klm-143690/

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Human Rights Campaign: Ghalibaf's name should be added to the list of human rights violators, Radio Farda, May 16, 2013

https://www.radiofarda.com/a/f9_iran_human_rights_campaign_ask_add_ghilbaf_human_violator_lists/24988084.html

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Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf from the IRGC and the municipality to the speaker of the parliament, BBC Farsi, June 28, 2016

https://www.bbc.com/persian/iran-features-52831872

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Full audio file of Ghalibaf's speech in the gathering of Basijis, 2013

https://soundcloud.com/user265259161/fjlfhgibxxyc

Ghalibaf, as the commander of the police force and a member of the National Security Council, was primarily responsible for obtaining a permit for the forces under his command  to attack the dormitory of the University of Tehran and the student dormitory of Tarasht, and to use lethal force against the peaceful protesters. In a speech at the Basij base in 2013, Ghalibaf acknowledged his role in threatening members of the Security Council to obtain a permit to attack the university dormitory:

“In 2003, after the university dormitory was set on fire and the Tarasht incident, I fought hard in the meeting of the National Security Council and said very harsh words and did not respect the meeting and said that tonight anyone who wants to come to the dormitory and wants to do these things [protest].  I, as the commander of the NAJA, will crush them. [...] The rest said that if the police force wants to enter the university dormitory, it must have the permission of the National Security Council and the university administrators must allow it. [...] At that meeting, I received permission from the National Security Council for the NAJA military presence at the university dormitory and to shoot [the protesters].”

Ghalibaf defends himself in Basij base: I obtained the permission for the military presence and shooting at the university dormitory, Kaleme website, 15 May, 2013

https://www.kaleme.com/1392/02/25/klm-143690/

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Full audio file of Ghalibaf's speech in the gathering of Basijis, 2013

https://soundcloud.com/user265259161/fjlfhgibxxyc

Ghalibaf: In 2003, I obtained a permit to enter and shoot in the university dormitory, Radio Farda, 16 May, 2013

https://www.radiofarda.com/a/f35_ghalibaf_tehran_university_dorm_attack/24987435.html

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As mayor, Ghalibaf has been involved in the crackdown on peaceful protesters following the 2009 election results. In a speech at the Basij base in 2013, he acknowledged the illegal use of the municipality as part of a security apparatus to suppress peaceful protesters:

"In the case of sedition [the title used by government officials for popular protests], I used the name sedition from the beginning. Because I did security and intelligence work anyway, and I am an expert in this matter. At the top level, I have said that Sardar Soleimani and I probably made the biggest move to prevent the incident from Saturday to Thursday [after the election], and you should know about the municipality that the municipality is a public non-governmental organisation. According to the evaluation of the performance of various agencies after the sedition, the municipality of Tehran is ranked third among the five security agencies that worked in this area. This shows that the municipality has done its job in the style of security institutions."

Ghalibaf defends himself in Basij base: I obtained the permission for the military presence and shooting at the university dormitory, Kaleme website, 15 May, 2013

https://www.kaleme.com/1392/02/25/klm-143690/

Full audio file of Ghalibaf's speech in the gathering of Basijis, 2013

https://soundcloud.com/user265259161/fjlfhgibxxyc