Mehdi Rahimi

Early life

Rahimi was born in Tehran, Iran.

Career

Rahimi served as deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, Tehran police chief as well as the president of the Wrestling Federation of Iran. He was a lieutenant general and the last military commander and the chief of police of Tehran during the final days of the Pahlavi Dynasty and before Tehran fell to the revolutionary forces of the 1979 Iranian Islamic Revolution.

Arrest and execution

Shortly after the Islamic Revolution in February 1979 and the takeover of all military bases and police stations by the pro-Khomeini Islamists, Rahimi was spotted by a subordinate as he was walking away from a military base near Sepah Square and arrested. By his own account as stated during his televised interrogation, Rahimi was beaten and tortured by the Islamic revolutionaries, arrested and taken to Refah School in Central Tehran. The interrogation which lasted 5 hours, resulted in a death sentence for Rahimi, as well as three other high-profile generals of the former regime. Sadegh Khalkhali presided over the proceedings and announced his death sentence on the charge of "Warring with God" and "Corrupter on Earth".

Rahimi was executed by a firing squad at midnight just before 16 February 1979, on the rooftop of Refah School, which was used as temporary residence by Ayatollah Khomeini. He refused to be blind-folded and stated that he wanted to die as a general loyal to his commander-in-chief. It has been said that his last words were "Javid Shah" (long live the Shah) and the expression of loyalty to Iran.

Major Iranian newspapers published the news of his execution on the morning of 16 February 1979 along with gruesome pictures of his body as well as those of other executed generals. The pictures of him reflect the fact that his right arm was severed before the execution.

Personal life

Rahimi married twice. He is survived by his second wife, Manijeh, who settled in London.