Assassins of the Turquoise Palace

On the evening of September 18, 1992, Iranian exiles gather for a dinner in Berlin in honor of the chairman of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan, Doctor Sadegh Sharafkandi. Soon after their arrival at Mykonos restaurant, they are attacked by a group of assassins. Among the fatally wounded are the Doctor and Noori Dehkordi who arranged the meeting.

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On the evening of September 17, 1992, eight leading members of the Iranian and Kurdish opposition had gathered at a little-known restaurant in Berlin when two darkly-clad men burst through the entrance. Within moments, the roar of a machine gun filled the air. Two rounds of fire and four single shots later, four of the men were dead. One of the survivors of that shooting, along with the widow of one of the victims and a handful of reporters, attorneys, and fellow exiles, began a crusade that would not only pit them against Tehran but against some of the greatest powers in Germany. When an undeterred federal prosecutor, and an endlessly patient chief judge, took over the case, a historic verdict followed which shook both Europe and Iran, and achieved something few could have predicted--justice. Roya Hakakian's The Assassins of the Turquoise Palace is an incredible book of history and reportage, and an unforgettable narrative of heroism and justice.