TEHRAN – Kazem Darabi, an Iranian suspect in the 1992 Mykonos Restaurant assassinations case in Berlin, has published his memoirs, explaining how he was sentenced to life imprisonment and his life during 15 years in captivity in Germany.

Darabi was sentenced in 1997 for having a hand in gunning down four members of the Kurdish opposition in the Mykonos Restaurant in the German capital in 1992. 

Under German law, life sentences are reviewed by authorities after 15 years to decide whether the guilty party can be released. On December 10, 2007, Darabi was released prematurely after 15 years of imprisonment and subsequently deported to Iran.

Darabi attended a meeting held at the Art Bureau in Tehran on Monday to unveil his “Teahouse Painting” written by Mohsen Kazemi and published by the Sure-Mehr Publications in Tehran.

Speaking at the meeting, Kazemi said that he began to write down Darabi’s memoirs in silence, adding, “Darabi did not talk to anybody about the book, he remained in silence as he tolerated the years in prison.” 

Darabi for his part complained about the situation he had been through and said, “I was in the prison cell for five years, but neither any journalist nor any organization from Iran made an objection. I have been released for 10 years but no Iranian judiciary official has visited me or asked about me.” 

“If a German citizen is imprisoned in Iran, how would his government treat him? My 30-year-old paralyzed daughter is in Germany and I cannot go visit her. I was imprisoned just because they (Germany) merely wanted to blame Iran for the assassinations,” he explained. 

He also said that he chose “Teahouse Painting” as the title of the book since he regarded the “Mykonos” Restaurant a teahouse whose story has been narrated by him.

Darabi concluded that the publisher has promised to translate the book into German, Arabic and English.

Photo: Kazem Darabi holds copies of his memoirs “Teahouse Painting” during the unveiling of the book at the Art Bureau in Tehran on February 4, 2019. (Mehr/Mohammad Moheimani)

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