The 1988 Massacre of Political Prisoners in Iran

The 1988 Massacre of Political Prisoners in Iran

The 1979 revolution marked the end of the Shah's autocratic rule in Iran and the beginning of a new chapter in the Iranian people's struggles. Eager for freedom and liberation from tyranny, the Iranian people sought to bring the spring of freedom to Iran.

However, this spring soon turned into a cold autumn and winter as the clerics hijacked the revolution, shattering all hopes. Freedom vanished, and prisons, chains, torture, and executions spread across the country. The corrupt, thieving, and criminal mullahs quickly crushed those brief moments of beautiful victory, leading to widespread poverty and misery.

The brutality of the clerical regime reached its peak in 1988 when it killed over 30,000 political prisoners, most of whom were members and supporters of the People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). This massacre was carried out following a fatwa issued by the regime's leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, who explicitly stated that anyone proven to support the PMOI/MEK should be executed.

The executions were carried out swiftly without any legal procedures. Prisoners were brought before a group of judges known as the "Death Committee" and asked a simple question: Would they renounce their support for the PMOI/MEK? Those who refused were immediately taken to the gallows. More than 30,000 political prisoners, aware of their impending fate, stood by their beliefs and set a remarkable example of resistance that continues to inspire today's youth.

The Justice Movement

The regime has made every effort to hide and deny the 1988 massacre for decades. However, after three decades of persistent efforts and exhausting campaigns by the Iranian Resistance and Maryam Rajavi, the elected President of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, substantial evidence about this crime against humanity has been gathered, and the wheels of justice are turning.

A large number of witnesses, lawyers, experts, international figures, institutions, and human rights organizations have been engaged in documenting and gathering the evidence needed to support the case for "genocide" and "crimes against humanity."

The Silent Voice of Those Drowned in Blood

Now, after more than three decades of relentless struggle and the adoption of resolutions that explicitly and implicitly reveal the countless crimes committed by the ruling religious fascism in Iran, Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, has issued a historic report at the end of his mandate.

read More:
Strengthening Russian-Iranian Cooperation After the Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh

In his report, the UN Special Rapporteur calls for the establishment of an international mechanism to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the "brutal crimes" in Iran, including the unlawful killings of thousands of arbitrarily detained prisoners and their suppression in the 1980s. He describes these brutal crimes, including the hasty, arbitrary, and extrajudicial executions in 1981, 1982, and 1988, as "crimes against humanity" and "genocide," emphasizing that these crimes involve the continued concealment of the fate and whereabouts of thousands of political dissidents. The forced disappearances and the unknown locations of their remains also constitute crimes against humanity.

According to the report: "The Special Rapporteur notes that the reported 'brutal crimes' occurring across Iran are the worst and most egregious human rights violations in living memory under the new financially distressed administration of the Iranian regime."

Levant: Saeed Abed

Levant News