Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - May 16, 2001 - Interview with Ali Afshari in Security Prison 59 and Hashemi's Account of the Interview

The Crash of the Plane Carrying Rahman Dadman, the Minister of Roads and Transportation

The incident occurred at six o'clock in the morning on Thursday, May 16, 2001, when a Russian Yak-40 aircraft crashed in the forests south of Sari. In this incident, Rahman Dadman, along with two of his deputies, three directors of the Ministry of Roads and Transportation, and seven representatives from Golestan Province, who were flying to inaugurate the Gorgan Airport and one of the city’s transportation routes, were killed. Notably, it is said that the then-head of the Civil Aviation Organization, who was also an intelligence officer, accompanied the team to the aircraft but did not travel with them. Reports indicate that the pilot of the Iran Air plane, which was supposed to take this delegation to Gorgan, withdrew from the flight after receiving a weather report. Subsequently, the coordinating airline, Faraz Qeshm, announced its readiness to fly to Gorgan despite adverse weather conditions. Meanwhile, amid all the ambiguities, the Civil Aviation Organization issued an official statement attributing the crash to pilot error.

Dispute and Controversy Among a Number of Representatives of the Sixth Parliament with the Judiciary Due to Statements by Sheikh Abbas Ali Alizadeh

Interview with Ali Afshari on State Television from Security Prison 59 and Hashemi's Account of This Interview

Complete Daily Record:

Today, we had good rain. Unfortunately, the plane carrying Minister Rahman Dadman, his two deputies, six representatives from Golestan Province, and several others en route to Gorgan disappeared early in the morning, and by night, there was still no accurate news about it. Only near Sari Airport, a message was sent indicating that the weather was poor, and they had to either make an emergency landing or return. Finally, late at night, the Ministry of Interior announced that the plane had crashed between Kashmar and Nishabour. The day before, in Turkey, a plane with 37 passengers, including members of the Turkish military strike force, also crashed, killing everyone on board.

In the media, the dispute between the representatives of the Sixth Parliament and the Judiciary is receiving extensive coverage. Mr. Abbas Ali Alizadeh, the head of Tehran's judiciary, stated in a speech that some representatives are "wolves in sheep's clothing." In response, the representatives demanded an apology and, in a letter to Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the head of the Judiciary, requested his dismissal. Today, he denied that his remarks were insulting and complained about the explicit insults from the representatives.

Conflict in Palestine has intensified. Israel has threatened Syria, and its aircraft have violated Lebanese airspace. A group of Christian, Druze, and leftist leaders has asked Syria to relocate its forces to the Bekaa Valley based on the Taif Agreement. There is significant pressure on Syria due to statements made by Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian President, in negotiations with Pope John Paul II, in which he claimed that Zionists are worse than Hitler and are the murderers of Christ, having conspired against the Prophet.

Last night, an interview was broadcast on television featuring Ali Afshari, a prominent figure from the Unity Office, who is currently in prison. He confessed to mistakes made by himself and his associates and admitted to having plans to undermine the regime and weaken the sanctities of the revolution, causing chaos. Foreign media are attempting to justify this under the pretext of pressure, but he stated that the interview was conducted at his own request. Reformists have become increasingly passive.