In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The noble nation of Iran has a bitter remembrance of the Security Department, and a few groups of administrative forces and some feigned and shaming clergies who had smuggled themselves in the spiritual guise and posed themselves as the spokesmen of Islam. Most of the said groups received their due punishment after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. But the reports coming from around the country indicate that the seduced groups are designing plots. It seems that these groups are steered from abroad. They want to practice the same actions committed in the days of Riza Khan. They want to drag our dear country in the lap of East or West by defeating the committed clergies and hurting the police. Or, they want to treat the nation as it was treated in the arrogant regime. This is the dread. Any negligence towards it or any indifference against it will result in destruction of Islam and the country. I myself had been a witness in the days of Rida Khan from the coup d'etat till the vilified downfall of the regime. And I have seen the plots framed by the agents of the foreign powers one after the other. I have witnessed how they made the clergy low in the eyes of the nation by giving shameless appellations such as `the backward' and etc. They destroyed the big fortifications of Islam by the hands of our youth- ignorant of the depth of the plot. They also paved the way for the imperialists' mal-purposes. The poets of the court, the paid writers, the spokesmen dependent upon them started their mission against Islam and the true servants of Islam and the country. They separated the first grade clergies (`ulama'), the virtuous people of piety and probity from the nation and the nation from them by means of poetry, articles, pen, and language. They spread the evil shadow of tyranny and imperialism across the country in such a dread through out fifty years that there remained no right to utter a word to any. I tell you, the noble nation, I warn you as I see through out the country the footsteps of that big Satan and other Satans. They have wisely adopted the same sketch and design of the days of Rida Khan. They are about to execute it with all their satanic nature. The plot is to enfeeble the clergy and weaken the police under the name of SAVAK still attached to the arrogant regime.
Therefore, I am trying to make you feel the danger, and by avoiding this evil design and safeguarding the dear country and the great Islam, I declare a general amnesty for all the classes of the people whose hands are not dipped into the blood of the sinless, nor did they order anyone's death or murder, nor were they torturers, nor did they cause anyone's death, nor did they misappropriate public funds. This amnesty on the first day this New Year comprises all whether being a member of security force (SAVAK) or a military figure or a disguised clergy attached to the previous regime. From today onward, no one has any right to annoy them. Even the government agents or any other group has any right to annoy them. Even the government figures any group has no right to cause any annoyance or disturbance or trouble for them. The president from now is responsible to avoid tumult or trouble for these forgiven ones by using force or power. The wrongdoers from whatever class they may be should be arrested and surrendered to the authorities of law. It is upon Mr. Quddusi, the chief public prosecutor, to chase the wrongdoers, from whatever class they are and bring them to the court. He may persuade the president to compel them to attend the court. Justice should be carried out for them.
As for the other accused persons who do not embrace the amnesty, no one has a right to annoy them except the competent courts. The police is responsible on behalf of the court to surrender the accused ones to the court. All the courts in Iran are bound to send the files with their detailed information of the accused persons, when they are completed, to Mr. Quddusi in Tehran for final check and perusal. Mr. Quddusi is too bound to form a committee or committees consisting of religious judges for investigating of such files. The Islamic justice should be executed thereupon. The president is allowed to show leniency by one grade after investigating into the crimes of those now in prisons- or the groups deserving the leniency. Those can be set free should be freed. I should remark here that the persons under amnesty when freed should not repeat their previous deeds or deeds similar to their previous ones. Otherwise, the punishment will be doubled, that is for their present crimes and their previous ones too. I ask all my faithful brothers to avoid taking revenge or finding excuses. They should follow the example of the Prophet and practice forgiveness as he used to do. I want our youths to show affection towards each other. They should adopt
doing good to others after the practice of the Prophet and much stressed by Qur'an. I wish health and success for all.
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini
Tuesday, Esfand 28,1358 AHS