1. Mohammed Sadeq Givi Khalkhali was an Iranian Shia cleric who is said to have "brought to his job as Chief Justice of the revolutionary courts a relish for summary execution" that earned him a reputation as Iran's "hanging judge".
14 Facts About Sadegh Khalkhali
1. 2.
Sadegh Khalkhali is reported to have been born in Kivi, in the Khalkhal County, Iran.
3.
Sadegh Khalkhali has been described as "a small, rotund man with a pointed beard, kindly smile, and a high-pitched giggle" by The Daily Telegraph.
4.
Sadegh Khalkhali was one of Khomeini's circle of disciples as far back as 1955 and reconstructed the former secret society of Islamic assassins known as the Fadayan-e Islam after its suppression, but was not a well-known figure to the public prior to the Islamic revolution.
5.
On 24 February 1979, Sadegh Khalkhali was chosen by Ruhollah Khomeini to be the Sharia ruler or head the newly established Revolutionary Courts, and to make Islamic rulings.
6.
Sadegh Khalkhali ordered the executions of Amir Abbas Hoveida, the Shah's longtime prime minister, and Nematollah Nassiri, a former head of SAVAK.
7.
Pleas for clemency poured in from all over the world and it was said that Sadegh Khalkhali was told by telephone to stay the execution.
8.
Sadegh Khalkhali replied that he would go and see what was happening.
9.
Sadegh Khalkhali then went to Hoveyda and either shot him himself or instructed a minion to do the deed.
10.
When Muvahhed refused, Sadegh Khalkhali covered his face with a pillow and shot him in the head.
11.
Sadegh Khalkhali sided with reformists after the election of President Mohammad Khatami in 1997, although he was never really accepted by the movement.
12.
Sadegh Khalkhali died in 2003, at the age of 77, of cancer and heart disease.
13.
Sadegh Khalkhali was married and had a son and two daughters.
14.
Sadegh Khalkhali's daughter, Fatemeh Sadeqi, though born in a restrictive Islamic environment, has attended university, attained PhD and is known for her secular views.