Jump to content

1982 kidnapping of Iranian diplomats: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
ce
adding {{npov}}
Line 1: Line 1:
Three Iranian diplomats as well as a reporter of Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency were abducted in Lebanon in 4 July 1982.<ref name="IRDC">{{cite web|last1=Staff writers|title=Islamic Revolution Document Center - Iranian Diplomats kidnapping by Israeli agents in Lebanon|url=http://www.irdc.ir/en/calendar/409/default.aspx|website=www.irdc.ir|accessdate=18 May 2016}}</ref>
{{npov}}Three Iranian diplomats as well as a reporter of Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency were abducted in Lebanon in 4 July 1982.<ref name="IRDC">{{cite web|last1=Staff writers|title=Islamic Revolution Document Center - Iranian Diplomats kidnapping by Israeli agents in Lebanon|url=http://www.irdc.ir/en/calendar/409/default.aspx|website=www.irdc.ir|accessdate=18 May 2016}}</ref>
None of them have been seen since.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Staff|title=Berri meets families of kidnapped Iranian diplomats|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Jul-09/263271-berri-meets-families-of-kidnapped-iranian-diplomats.ashx|accessdate=18 May 2016|work=The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon}}</ref> The missing diplomats are [[Ahmad Motevaselian]], [[Seyed Mohsen Mousavi]], [[Taghi Rastegar Moghadam]] and [[Kazem Akhavan]].<ref name="Alam">{{cite news|last1=Staff writers|title=Envoy: Iranian abducted diplomats alive in Israel|url=http://en.alalam.ir/news/1491805|accessdate=18 May 2016|work=Al-Alam|date=5 July 2013}}</ref> They were stopped at a check point in northern Lebanon by [[Kataeb Party|Lebanese Phalange forces]] commanded by [[Samir Geagea]]. Various speculations has appeared since their abduction. Iranian officials believe that they were handed over to Israel after they were kidnapped and are still alive and are held in Israel territory. Israel denies holding the diplomats and believes that the diplomats were executed shortly after their abduction.
None of them have been seen since.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Staff|title=Berri meets families of kidnapped Iranian diplomats|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Jul-09/263271-berri-meets-families-of-kidnapped-iranian-diplomats.ashx|accessdate=18 May 2016|work=The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon}}</ref> The missing diplomats are [[Ahmad Motevaselian]], [[Seyed Mohsen Mousavi]], [[Taghi Rastegar Moghadam]] and [[Kazem Akhavan]].<ref name="Alam">{{cite news|last1=Staff writers|title=Envoy: Iranian abducted diplomats alive in Israel|url=http://en.alalam.ir/news/1491805|accessdate=18 May 2016|work=Al-Alam|date=5 July 2013}}</ref> They were stopped at a check point in northern Lebanon by [[Kataeb Party|Lebanese Phalange forces]] commanded by [[Samir Geagea]]. Various speculations has appeared since their abduction. Iranian officials believe that they were handed over to Israel after they were kidnapped and are still alive and are held in Israel territory. Israel denies holding the diplomats and believes that the diplomats were executed shortly after their abduction.


Revision as of 21:13, 27 May 2016

Three Iranian diplomats as well as a reporter of Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency were abducted in Lebanon in 4 July 1982.[1]

None of them have been seen since.[2] The missing diplomats are Ahmad Motevaselian, Seyed Mohsen Mousavi, Taghi Rastegar Moghadam and Kazem Akhavan.[3] They were stopped at a check point in northern Lebanon by Lebanese Phalange forces commanded by Samir Geagea. Various speculations has appeared since their abduction. Iranian officials believe that they were handed over to Israel after they were kidnapped and are still alive and are held in Israel territory. Israel denies holding the diplomats and believes that the diplomats were executed shortly after their abduction.

Efforts are done both by Iranian and Lebanese government to gain information about their whereabouts while the case has turned into a political issue, rather than a judicial one, according to Nazih Mansour, former member of the Lebanese parliament.

Event

The diplomats disappeared in Lebanon during the invasion of Lebanon in 1982.[4] After reaching a checkpoint in northern Lebanon, Lebanese Phalange forces[1] headed by Samir Geagea[5] stopped the diplomats. According to Press TV, some former members of the Lebanese forces had witnessed the diplomats being handed over to Israel.[6] Later, in a contradictory statement, they said that they witnessed the deaths of the diplomats inside Lebanon.[7]

Fate of abducted diplomats

Hezbollah had included the fate of the diplomats in indirect negotiations for a prisoner exchange with the Israelis after the 2006 war[6] and as terms of the deal, Israel would apparently give a report on the fate of four Iranian diplomats kidnapped and allegedly murdered.[8]

Iran has accused Israel of kidnapping and holding them in Israeli jails, and called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to clarify their whereabouts.[9] According to Ghazanfar Roknabadi, former Iranian ambassador in Lebanon, "there are concrete evidences proving that they are alive,” held in Israel.[3][10] Israel has said it does not know what happened to the diplomats and that it believes that they were kidnapped by a Lebanese militant group and executed shortly after their abduction. It was believed that they were then buried at a site where construction later obliterated their graves.[8] According to Fars News Agency, Israel has made contradictory comments on the issue by rejecting the allegation of diplomats being surrendered to it, and claiming that they are already dead.[11]

According to the Iranian Tasnim News, it was known that there were close relations between the militant forces by Samir Geagea and Israel at the time, and that Geagea's group had handed over many Lebanese and foreigners to Israel at the time of "Zionist regime’s invasion of Lebanon."[7] In 2006, Geagea said that the diplomats were killed after abduction.[12]

Adnan Mansour, minister of foreign affairs and emigrants, said to IRNA that Iran had not stopped prosecuting the fate of the diplomats during the 32 years. He admitted that the Lebanon government was responsible in the first step, because the abduction had occurred in Lebanon territory. Nazih Mansour, former member of the Lebanese parliament, had been the official lawyer of one of the families. Talking to IRNA, he said that the progress of the case in Lebanese courts was very slow. Referring to a Lebanese proverb, he said that approaching the answer slowly is better that never achieving that. After years, the case has turned into a political issue, rather than a judicial one, according to Nazih Mansour.[13]

In a statement, Iran appreciated the attempts by Lebanese government and some international figures specially 2008 Lebanon letter to UN confirming the abduction.[7] Mohammad Fathali, Iranian Ambassador to Beirut, Condemning the lack of international attention to this case of abduction,[14] said that Iran has seen no serious action by "the international community and human rights bodies" regarding abduction of the Iranian diplomats in Lebanon and their fate.[11]

Commemoration

The disappearance of abducted diplomats are commemorated in Iran[15] and Beirut.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Staff writers. "Islamic Revolution Document Center - Iranian Diplomats kidnapping by Israeli agents in Lebanon". www.irdc.ir. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  2. ^ Staff. "Berri meets families of kidnapped Iranian diplomats". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b Staff writers (5 July 2013). "Envoy: Iranian abducted diplomats alive in Israel". Al-Alam. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Iranians kidnapped in Lebanon in 1982 in Israel: Ahmadinejad". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon.
  5. ^ Staff witers. "Tasnim News Agency - Tehran Urges UN to Pursue Fate of Iranian Diplomats Abducted by Israel". Tasnim News Agency. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Staff witers. "PressTV-Kidnapped Iranian diplomats remembered in Lebanon". Press TV. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Staff witers. "Tasnim News Agency - Tehran Urges UN to Pursue Fate of Iranian Diplomats Abducted by Israel". Tasnim News Agency. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  8. ^ a b Stern, Yoav (1 July 2008). "Lebanon: Hezbollah Prisoner Swap Marks 'Failure' for Israel". Reuters. Haaretz. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  9. ^ "Iran urges UN to pursue issue of diplomats abducted in Lebanon". www.irdiplomacy.ir. No. Iran Diplomacy. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  10. ^ "Abadi: Four kidnapped Iranian diplomats are still alive in Israel". MTV Lebanon. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Envoy: Iran Not to Give Up Pursuit into Fate of 4 Abducted Diplomats". FARS News Agency. 12 July 2014. – via General OneFile (subscription required)
  12. ^ Sahimi, Mohammad (24 October 2009). "The Fog over the 1983 Beirut Attacks". FRONTLINE - Tehran Bureau. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  13. ^ "Release the four Iranian kidnapped diplomats, an endless hope". IRNA. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  14. ^ "Iranians kidnapped in 1982 believed to be alive in Israel". The Daily Star. 24 June 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2016. – via General OneFile (subscription required)
  15. ^ "Salehi calls on UN to establish committee on abducted Iranian diplomats". Mehr News Agency. 10 July 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1982_kidnapping_of_Iranian_diplomats&oldid=722398761"