Mozaffar Shahedi

Prior to the coup, Seyyed Ziaaddin Tabatabi provided lieutenant Reza Khan with a list of tens of dignitaries to be detained after the coup had been carried out. So shortly after the coup, group detainment of notables and dignitaries, some freedom seeking figures and clerics began. Within a period of six days, about seventy people were arrested among them were included: Seyyed Hassan Modarres, Mirza Ahmad Khan Qavamossaltaneh (who was detained few days later), Farmanfarma, Nosratoddowleh, Einoddowleh, Sa’dodowleh, Sahamoddowleh, Heshmatoddowleh, Qavamoddowleh, Majdodowleh, Momtazoddowleh, Mohtashamossaltaneh, Nassirossaltaneh, Mosharossaltaneh, Vossouqossaltaneh, Momtazolmolk, Lessanolmolk, Yaminolmolk, Sardar Rashid, Sardar Mo’tazed, colonel Guigo, Amirnezam, Calhor, Mirza Yanos, Mohammad Qoli Sohrabzadeh, Ass’ad Sohrabzadeh, Seyyed Mohammad Eslambolichi, Mohammadvali Khan Sepahsalar, Salar Lashkar, Sheikh Mohammad Yazdi, Sheikh Mohammad Hossein Astarabadi, Agha Zia, and Seyyed Mohammad Tadayyon.

It was said that the list of the people to be detained was prepared in collaboration with the British Legation in Tehran. Many of them were promised release in exchange for large amount of money. However, many of the detainees refused to pay money. Within a period of one  month, many people who protested against the coup, were arrested including Ali Dashti, Farrokhi Yazdi, Lessanossaltaneh Moaddab Homayun, Mirza Qavam, Mirza Hashem Ashtiani, Seyyed GholamHossein Khan, Dr. Mashuf, Hajj Mohammad Hossein Moinorroaya, Rahnama editor in chief of Rahnama daily, Fadayi, Abbass Khan Ra’fat, Yavar Akbar Mirzabashi, Malekalshoara Bahar, and Sardar Moazzam Khorrassani.

Not more than two months had past since the coup that all prisons and detainments were full of prisoners and they had to transfer some of them to provinces, for instance, Seyyed Hassan Moddarress was exiled to and was imprisoned in Qazvin until the end of the dark era of the coup.

There were some notable riches detained whom the government hoped to take some money from and then let them free, Hajj Hossein Aminozzarb and Amir Nezam Hamedani being among them, the latter having paid 25 thousand Tomans and being released after two weeks.

It has been said that Seyyed Zia ordered for the arrest of the dignitaries because he himself was a journalist from a cleric family.

Among important figures who were arrested in this period are Mirza Ahmad Khan Qavamossaltaneh and Akbar Mirza Saremoddowleh who were the governors of Khorassan and Kermanshah respectively.

At this time the rumors were spread out that they are going to execute some of the detainees. However due to Ahmad Shah’s protest, it was cancelled. After the end of this dark period, Mirza Ahmad Khan Qavamossaltaneh who had been one of the detainees himself, ordered for the release of all those who were under arrest just one day after he took hold of the office of prime minister.