In the summer of 1988, Supreme Leader Khomeini issued a religious fatwa with the aim of eliminating the most serious threat to his regime’s existence.

PARIS, FRANCE, July 8, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- On July 3rd, following the Free Iran Global Summit 2023, Onward to Prosecute Clerical Regime Crimes Against Humanity, Genocide held on Saturday and Sunday, the National Council of Resistance of Iran convened its third consecutive meeting at its headquarters in Auvers-sur-Oise. The purpose of this summit is to address the gravest crime committed against humanity by the clerical regime in Iran.

In the summer of 1988, the then Supreme Leader Khomeini issued a religious decree with the aim of eliminating the most serious threat to his regime’s existence.

His ‘fatwa’ called for the systematic execution of all members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), who were imprisoned in Iran. Over the course of a few weeks, more than 30,000 political prisoners, predominantly members of the MEK, who steadfastly adhered to their beliefs, were executed nationwide.

The 1988 massacre has been widely described as genocide by numerous human rights activists and political experts. It was carried out by some of the highest-ranking officials of the clerical dictatorship, including the current president, Ebrahim Raisi.

Given that the regime in Iran continues to hold the unfortunate distinction of being the world’s largest state executioner per capita, leaders and lawmakers from around the world are gathering at the NCRI event to discuss the topic.

Their purpose will speak about the ongoing massacre of political prisoners to call upon the international community to end the regime’s impunity.

They will urge the Iranian authorities to be held accountable for their crimes against humanity. Additionally, the attendees are calling on the United Nations to take action to protect the thousands of Iranian protesters who are currently languishing in prisons within Iran.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran - (NCRI)

On the brink of the 35th anniversary of the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, we pay tribute to those who gave their lives for freedom and cultivated the seeds of unwavering uprisings; they are indeed the martyrs of the Iranian people’s Democratic Revolution.

The untainted blood of those innocent souls massacred in 1988 resonates today in the ongoing uprisings of the Iranian people and continues to inspire and motivate rebellious youths across generations.

Thousands of PMOI heroes bravely stood their ground, defending their political identity and ideals. They marched to the gallows, shouting ‘Long Live Massoud Rajavi’ and welcoming their martyrdom. Their aspirations and ideals remain just as relevant in contemporary Iranian society.

The past few months have witnessed the imprisonment of 30,000 defiant young men and women who fearlessly challenged Khamenei’s regime. Among them are selfless and devoted men and women who established the Resistance Units. They are united in their fight for the cause of freedom, equality, and the rejection of oppression.

The People’s Mojahedin, a name that burns with crimson passion in Iran, has emerged from this ideal, painting the dawn with its fiery red spirit.

After 44 years of slandering the PMOI and spreading lies about their generations, the mullahs’ fury remains unabated. Their heartless fear of any group affiliated with the PMOI, even thousands of kilometers away from Iran, stems from a cause that transcends time and place.

While the mullahs strive to impose their rule characterized by coercion, tyranny, and oppression, the arisen generation in Iran yearns for freedom and a people’s republic. This is a cause that shall ultimately prevail.

Thirty-five years ago, during the final days of July, the harrowing specter of death silently and swiftly cast its shadow over the country, targeting anyone who stood their ground as a member of the PMOI, as Khomeini had stated in his fatwa.

According to mullah Moghtadaii, an executioner, Khomeini held consecutive meetings with his henchmen, urging them to continue their grim task without the slightest hesitation or fear.

Khomeini harbored genocidal intentions, seeking the annihilation of the PMOI, which he perceived as an existential threat to his regime.

As the massacre unfolded in prisons such as Evin and Gohardasht, only a small number of PMOI prisoners remained in other cities. Tragically, in some prison wards, not a single PMOI prisoner survived.

Dr. Tahar Boumedra, Chief of the Human Rights Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) (2009-2012), JVMI Foundation Chair

Dr. Boumedra, "I spent my career in Africa and when I went to Iraq, I knew nothing about the Iranian Resistance movement or the Mujahedin. And when I arrived in Iraq, I was given an induction course about my mission as the chief of the human rights office of the United Nations in Iraq." During that induction, I was warned to be careful about those people living in Camp Ashraf, that I have to be careful because I had to deal with a group of terrorists.

"I listened to all parties, Iraqis, and the Iranian embassy in Baghdad, and I visited Camp Ashraf on a weekly basis. And I came to the conclusion based on my own personal observations that whatever comes to me through the Ashrafis turned out to be right. And anything that reached me through the Iraqi Prime Minister’s office and the Iranian embassy in Baghdad was aimed to denigrate these people, and all the denigration always turned out to be wrong. "

Tahar Boumedra, "I was really put in a situation where I couldn’t continue my mission in Iraq. I had to resign and when they left Iraq, I went back to England I met a number of British lawyers and we decided to establish JVMI in order to give a voice to the families of the victims and to the survivors of the prosecution." "During the 1988 massacre, there was a blackout where information didn’t come out straight away from Tehran. Mr. Masood Rajavi contacted the United Nations informing them about 800 victims. Later, Grand Ayatollah Montazeri wrote his memoirs and revealed many things. In letters, Khomeini’s son asked about the prisoners and Khomeini responded to that letter and ordered to kill them all without hesitation."

"The JVMI decided to revive public awareness of what really happened. Our investigation is based on the expertise of international lawyers. We used very high standards for evidence. We used very high UN standards for identifying the suspect perpetrators. And that was published in two books. The second book identified the geographical locations of mass graves and we went around in Geneva and everywhere, knocking on every door of the United Nations and the diplomatic community. We gave them reports. We gave them the evidence. And we called for the establishment of an independent international Commission for Inquiry and these crimes."

"The actual Special Rapporteur of the United Nations on the situation of human rights Javaid Rehman has produced a number of reports and he worked with other UN human rights thematic groups. And they all came together to call for the establishment of an international Commission for Inquiry into the massacre of political prisoners in Iran. That’s a very important breakthrough. But the real breakthrough was that of the Stockholm District Court that convicted Hamid Nouri of crimes against humanity. This is just the beginning. JVMI will continue until justice and the rule of law prevails."

Majid Saheb-Jam, former political prisoner, witness to the 1988 massacre

"I was arrested in 1982 for supporting the MEK. I was sentenced to 12 years in prison in a court that lasted a few minutes. I was later sentenced to death for recruiting another individual to support the MEK. I spent 17 years in prison and was released in 1999. On a day in the summer of 1988, we were brought into a hallway in the prison which later became known as the Death Corridor. We were waiting for something big to happen."

Mrs . Saheb-Jam, "The situation was strange and tense. We were then taken from the corridor to the office of the Death Commission. They determined which MEK prisoner would die and which would remain alive. They had one question, “What is your charge?”

"I told them I supported the MEK. The judge said I’m a hypocrite and sent me back to the death corridor. There I saw my friends who were preparing themselves for being executed. Some had been paralyzed due to the tortures and were brought to the death corridors on stretchers."

"Next, was the line that was sent to the Execution Hall. Hamid Nouri would call out the names and prepare them to be taken to the execution location. I lost many friends there. They gave their lives but opened the way for freedom in Iran. After the prisoners were executed, Hamid Nouri would distribute sweets among the prison guards and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) agents."

"Finally, we have a historic trial in a Swedish court, where one of the perpetrators of the 1988 massacre has been on trial and the trial is still going on. I can tell you that the investigation presented in the Stockholm District Court is the best Fact-finding Commission that you can imagine. The court went on for 92 days. The investigation is more than 11,000 pages."

"You’ve already heard about Khomeini’s fatwa, and what it meant. In fact, what normally should be a religious opinion, but this was an order. And what does he say? Anyone who remains faithful to the People’s Mujahedin of Iran and who is in our prisons shall be executed. Quite simple. This is the information that we have had in the Stockholm District Court. And this information is better than what any fact-finding commission is ever going to be able to find because we had also 34 plaintiffs who testified."

"Formally, I represent only 10 plaintiffs. In reality, I represent this whole movement. And let me tell you what this movement did during this trial. They created a museum, a film, and a model of the Gohardasht prison. That’s an unbelievable effort that’s been made by my clients in Ashraf 3 to make this trial the success that it has been. We have to understand also the regime has not been passive about it. It’s very strange because before Raisi was elected president, they were rather quiet about this case. We don’t really know why. As soon as Raisi came to power, he knew that in this trial, evidence was being presented every single day that implicated not only him but the whole regime. And as a result of that, you’ll notice that the Iranian press has become more and more hysterical."

"They say that Nouri has been tortured and hasn’t been given a fair trial. This is so hypocritical, the evidence that we’ve heard, we know what torture was. Go to the museum in Ashraf 3 and you’ll see a clear picture of what real torture is. Nouri testified for five days. His victims were given five minutes.
Ebrahim Raisi, Nayyeri, Khamenei, all of them, we can put them all on trial because these were people who saw them and knew what they did. The important thing is this trial happened, the evidence has been presented and we know not only that Hamid Nouri is guilty, we know that all of these leaders are guilty."

Dr. Melanie O’Brien, President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS)

When perpetrators of past atrocities are not held accountable for their actions, we are doomed to see history repeat itself. This is the situation we find ourselves in with regard to the Iranian government and its human rights abuses, many of which amount to international crimes.

In 1988, political protests were curbed with thousands of people executed for their political and religious beliefs. Only one of the perpetrators of these crimes has been held accountable for their actions.

With the resumption of violence since the killing of Mahsa Amini, we see the same types of violence being carried out. Protesters in the street are being met with violence, with the security forces being ordered to severely confront protesters, beating them and firing upon them. Other protesters are arrested and detained, with hundreds already executed. Some of those killed have been children.

Crimes against humanity are crimes committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on a civilian population. The detention, disappearance, torture, and killings of large numbers of Iranian civilians in 1988 and today certainly qualify as a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population of Iran.

Obviously, the Iranian government is not going to hold itself accountable for crimes, including executions, torture, and enforced disappearance.

This is especially the case as we know that some of those responsible for the 1988 crimes have since been promoted up the ranks to high government positions, including the current president Ebraham Raisi, who was a Death Commission member.

The international community thus needs to unequivocally support accountability processes to ensure justice for the victims and their families who have not been permitted to properly mourn their loved ones.

What form those processes take, however, is the biggest challenge. The only option would be for the United Nations Security Council to refer the situation in Iran to the International Criminal Court as it did for the situation in Darfur, Sudan. However, this is very unlikely to occur because Russia, as a permanent member of the Security Council, would use its veto power over any proposed resolution to refer Iran to the International Criminal Court.

Domestic criminal law in third countries should be used. We’ve heard about the July 2022 conviction in Sweden of Hamid Nouri, and it’s a key example of the use of what we call universal jurisdiction against perpetrators of the 1988 killings.

And this is where a country prosecutes a national from any other country for international crimes committed anywhere in the world.

Sweden’s example should be followed by other countries.

This would effectively render a travel ban on those who participated in the 1988 executions and those who are perpetrating current crimes, as they would be arrested if they traveled abroad. Therefore, this would complement any current sanctions regimes against Iranian individuals.

Other mechanisms that focus on truth-telling, exposing the crimes of the current and previous regimes need to be established. It would be appropriate, as we’ve heard, for the United Nations to establish some kind of mechanism for investigation and truth-telling.

Unfortunately, human rights law solutions are difficult and limited. Iran has never engaged significantly with the international human rights law system. It is a party to a few human rights treaties. It does not subscribe to any individual complaints procedures in the United Nations human rights system.

Shahin Gobadi
NCRI
+33 6 61 65 32 31
email us here

Speech to the Summit of the Iranian Resistance -2023“Onwards to a democratic republic”

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