Espionage

espionage

A jurisprudential and ethical term used generally by prisoners with reference to searching information and secret news about the individual   conditions of Iranian prisoners in the camps and their transfer   to the Iraqi forces.

This word in Farsi means "seeking news" and in Arabic   "touching with the hand" or "looking to identify others out of curiosity" (Dehkhoda, under the word; Ibn Manzoor, under the word "Jass").  Broadly speaking, it means catching up with the news and being aware of things that people intend to keep dark and hidden from others (Tafsir al-Mizan, "The following verse").

The topic of searching and digging into people's affairs has been strictly prohibited in the Holy Quran, specifically stated in verse 12 of Surah Al-Hujraat. According to the late Tabarsi's opinion in the book Majmall Al-Bayan (the following verse), it means that Muslims should not look for people's faults. The Holy Prophet also said in this regard: "Do not inquire about the failings of the believers" (Kolleiny, 1387, Vol. 1: 3355). All the remarks and statements are to the effect that searching and prying into people`s failings and shortcomings is negative and not advisable. But this issue has another aspect ,  called Tahassos in Arabic meaning "sensitivity"; that is to say, searching and getting information about charitable affairs which has a positive aspect. This issue has been   stated in the Holy Qur'an (Yusuf/12/87) as follows: "Fatahassawa min Yusuf wa Akhiya", that is, they should investigate about Yusuf(=Joseph) so that they might find him. Of course, this issue existed among the Iranian prisoners in the Iraqi camps, the most obvious moral example of which was performed by Seyyed Ali Akbar Abu Toraby Fard; Especially when he was in the Mosul  camp 1, he usually went to people and inquired about their conditions. (Rahmanian, 1383: 14)

One of the most salient features of the time of war(1980-1990) between Iran and Iraq and the period of captivity of Iranian forces  in Iraqi camps was the inquisition enforced by Iraqis to obtain information on the conditions of each Iranian captive. The way Iraqis figured it, this type of espionage would enable them to have a better control over the camps. The most common method of spying on the Iranian forces was to use the Iranian forces themselves. As regarded the Iranian captives, espionage had different forms of which the most important ones included:

1. Appointing a person as the functionary of some camp (they could not be chosen by the prisoners themselves); That is, when a person volunteered to cooperate with the Iraqis, he would be picked as the functionary of the camp;

2. The Iraqis would take the prisoner in question  disguised as a camp-cleaner to the camp commander`s office where they would try to elicit some information and collect some news from him

3. In the form of writing a report;

4. By collaborating with the enemies and generally those who opposed the Islamic Republic of Iran openly

5. By writing a letter to the family; This method of espionage was very important and complicated because the spies knew that their letters would be given to the Iraqi Military Intelligence Organization  and in this way, information would be provided to them. (Interview with Ali Mohammad Ahad Tajari, March 9, 2015)

This cooperation with Iraqi forces had several reasons, the most important of which were:

1. The motive of hatred or enmity towards the Islamic Republic of Iran system;

2. Lack of faith and religious beliefs;

3. Lassitude owing to the prolongation of war which was bound to dampen the spirits of some captives and somehow predisposed them to espionage

4. Physical weakness of some people who could not tolerate torture;

5. Some of the Iranian captives collaborated with Iraqi forces to gain the advantage of having longer break times and getting to spend more time outside.

6. Just to get their hands on trifling things like cigarettes. (Interview with Ahad Tajari, ibid.; Abad, 2011: 433 and 194)

7. Love of position and promotion. Some prisoners would approach the Iraqis through espionage to undertake various responsibilities in the camp .

But on the contrary, in order to guide and warn the culprits against espionage, other prisoners took measures such as socializing and behaving appropriately to prepare their required items, and in some cases, they overdid it by resorting to violence and even killing the spy. (Interview with Ahad Tajari: ibid.; Abad, ibid.: 437)

A special feature of the spies was their familiarity with the Arabic language, the number of such spies varied from camp to camp. Mohammad Taki, Mohsen American, and Ali Rahmati can be mentioned as some of the most notorious spies of this kind. (Interview with Ahad Tajari: same)

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Ali Zabihi Ali Tepe