More Than 100 Prominent Iranians Ask UN to Declare 1988 Massacre “Crime Against Humanity”
- This article has been updated on September 12, 2016 to reflect the correct number of original signatories.
In a letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court, more than one hundred Iranians living outside Iran, including several prominent civil, academic, and human rights figures, have asked for the recognition of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s prison massacre of 1988 as a crime against humanity.
According to the authors of this letter, “the legal basis for the court’s jurisdiction regarding Iran would be a referral by the UN Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter but political interests of the members with veto power prevent the realization of this option.”
“We, the undersigned, consider the 1988 massacre of Iranian political prisoners to be a clear case of Crime against Humanity. We urge international human rights organizations and the United Nations Human Rights Council to condemn the Islamic Republic of Iran for its systematic hostility to the civil and political rights of its citizens,” states the letter.
The letter emerged a few weeks after an audio recording of a 1988 meeting between Ayatollah Hosseinali Montazeri, then heir apparent to Islamic Republic of Iran founder Ayatollah Khomeini, and a group of high-level state officials and clerics who orchestrated the mass executions and later became known as the “Death Committee,” was published.
In this meeting, the late Ayatollah Montazeri called the group’s decision to issue death sentences for prisoners who were already serving prison terms issued by the Iranian Judiciary “the biggest crime in the Islamic Republic – a crime that will condemn us all in history.”
Following publication of this audio file, some officials and even Mostafa Pourmohammadi, one of the individuals present at the meeting who is now Iran’s Justice Minister in President Hassan Rouhani’s cabinet, defended the executions.
Some of the signatories of the letter to the Human Rights Council include Shirin Ebadi (Nobel Laureate), Hadi Ghaemi (Human Rights Advocate), Mehrangiz Kar (Human Rights Lawyer and Author), Esfandiar Monfaredzadeh (Composer), Nasser Pakdaman (Writer), Nayereh Tohidi (Professor) and Mohsen Yalfani (Writer). Below is the complete text of the letter and the full list of signatories.
***
The Islamic Republic of Iran, in its 37-year history, has executed more than 15,000 political prisoners. In 1988, Ayatollah Khomeini, the country’s Supreme Leader at the time, ordered mass execution of political prisoners. According to Amnesty International, at least 4,482 young men and women disappeared during a two-month period in 1988. Many of the executed prisoners had already served their sentences. The bodies of the victims were buried in unmarked graves and their families were never informed of their whereabouts. In 2012, a people’s tribunal, presided over by respected international judges, investigated these crimes and found Iran’s leaders guilty of crime against humanity.
Iran’s clerical leaders remained silent about the massacre for nearly thirty years. Now, an audiotape of a meeting on August 15, 1988, reveals that Ayatollah Ali Montazeri, then designated successor to Khomeini, addresses the clerics who carried out the executions and says: “let me be frank with you. You have committed the biggest crime in the Islamic Republic – a crime that will condemn us all in history.” Montazeri’s words led Ayatollah Khomeini to dismiss him as his heir apparent and pave the way for emergence of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as his successor. Montazeri died in 2009 and his son, Ahmad, posted the thirty-year old audiotape on his website on August 9, 2016.
Montazeri’s description of the massacre compelled Iran’s clerical authorities, including the chief of Judiciary Sadegh Larijani, to admit and defend the executions. The audiotape also reveals the names of the clerics who carried out the criminal acts. They include Mostafa Pourmohammadi, then deputy intelligence minister and now minister of justice in President Rouhani’s cabinet;
Hussein Ali Nayeri, then the religious judge at Evin Prison and now a high court judge; and Ebrahim Raeesi, then deputy prosecutor of Tehran and now head of Astan Quds Razavi – one of the largest Shiite shrine-based religious institutions in Iran.
As we approach the 30th anniversary of the massacre, the families of the victims are still waiting for justice. Every year while they gather to demand the truth from the government, they are harassed and violently dispersed by security forces. This is an example of the behavior that impels Iran’s theocratic dictatorship to reject the legitimacy of both the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Other reasons for Iran’s refusal to join the ICC have to do with penalties provided in Iran’s criminal law, including whipping, stoning, cutting off of body parts and mistreatment of minorities. While they see no problem in Muslims committing mass murder against other Muslims, Iran’s theocrats maintain
that Non-Muslim judges cannot judge Muslims.
In 2009, following the suppression of a popular movement against the rigged presidential election, more than 200 Iranian lawyers and human rights activists appealed to the ICC prosecutor to investigate the violence committed by Iran’s security forces. Those who took this initiative knew that the ICC is procedurally barred from responding to their request. They simply wanted to inform the international community about the Iranian government’s relentless violence against the civil society. Canada is the only country that condemns Iran’s 1988 massacre of political prisoners as crime against humanity. The legal basis for the court’s jurisdiction regarding Iran would be a referral by the UN Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter but political interests of the members with veto power prevent the realization of this option.
We, the undersigned, consider the 1988 massacre of Iranian political prisoners to be a clear case of Crime against Humanity. We urge international human rights organizations and the United Nations Human Rights Council to condemn the Islamic Republic of Iran for its systematic hostility to the civil and political rights of its citizens.
Signatures
| 1 | Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh – Founder & Director, Zanan TV & NGO Training, USA |
| 2 | Shahla Abghari, Director of Microbiology Laboratories at Life University, USA |
| 3 | Siavash Abghari, Professor of Finance Morehouse College, USA |
| 4 | Reza Afshari – Professor of History at Pace University, USA |
| 5 | Maryam Ahari – Human Rights Activist, USA |
| 6 | Khosrow Akbari, Astrophysicist, Canada |
| 7 | Kazem Alamdari – Department of Sociology, California State University, Northridge, USA |
| 8 | Reza Alavi – Author and political analyst, USA |
| 9 | Bahman Amini – Human Rights Activist, France |
| 10 | Homeira Amini – Human Rights Activist, USA |
| 11 | Mehdi Amini – Human Rights Activist, USA |
| 12 | Mohammad Anousheh – Political Activist, USA |
| 13 | Shahin Anzali – Political Activist, Austria |
| 14 | Ali Arab – Associate Professor of Statistics at Georgetown University and a member of the 2016 Board of Directors of Amnesty International, USA |
| 15 | Houshang Ardavan, PhD, Emeritus staff, Institute of Astronomy and Emeritus Fellow, Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge |
| 16 | Farid Ashkan – Human Rights Activist, USA |
| 17 | Djamshid Assadi – Ph.D. Iran: Market & Democracy, France |
| 18 | Rose Samii Atwood – CEO Unique It Jobs, Inc., USA |
| 19 | Faramarz Bahar – Human Rights Activist, France |
| 20 | Reza Badii, Political Active, USA |
| 21 | Panetea Bahrami – Filmmaker and Journalist, USA |
| 22 | Soheila Vahdati Bana – Human Rights Activist, USA |
| 23 | Khosro Bandari – Human Rights Activist, USA |
| 24 | Mehran Barati, Ph. D. – Analyst of future political trends, Germany |
| 25 | Behrouz Bayat, Former consultant at the International Atomic Energy Agency, Austria |
| 26 | Mohammad Behboudi – Human Rights Activist, USA |
| 27 | Sohrab Behdad – Professor of Economics, Denison University, USA |
| 28 | Farhad Bokaee – Survivor of 1988 massacre/High School Teacher, Canada |
| 29 | Hormoz Chamanara – Political Activist, USA |
| 30 | Elahe Chokraie – Nurse, Canada |
| 31 | Bahram Choubineh – Sociologist and Historian specializing in the social, political and Religion history of Iran, Germany |
| 32 | Mehrdad Darvishpour – Senior Lecturer at Mälardalen University, Sweden |
| 33 | Parviz Dastmalchi – Human Rights Activist, Germany |
| 34 | Siavash Dehghan, Political Activist, USA |
| 35 | Mehdi Djamshidi – |
| 36 | Shirin Ebadi – Nobel Laureate for Peace and Human Rights Defense Lawyer |
| 37 | Bijan Eftekhari – Political Activist, Austria |
| 38 | Mansour Farhang – Retired Professor of International Relations and advisory board member of Human Right Watch/Middle East and North Africa, USA |
| 39 | Soheyla Farhang, Lawyer, Forner UN professional, USA |
| 40 | Nehzat Farhoody – Ph. D., USA |
| 41 | Abass Ali Fattah, Political Activist, Austria |
| 42 | Firuzeh Fouladi, Human Rights Activist, USA |
| 43 | Hadi Ghaemi, human rights advocate, USA |
| 44 | Kambiz Ghaemmagham, political activist, USA |
| 45 | Mohsen Ghaemmagham , Physician and Human rights Activist, USA |
| 46 | Shahram Ghanbari, Socilologist, U. S. A. |
| 47 | Reza Ghorashi, Professore at stockton University, USA |
| 48 | Roberto Godoy – Architect, Canada |
| 49 | Dr. Jaleh Lackner- Gohari, Former Medical Officer& Coordinator (IAEA & other UN-Agencies) Austria |
| 50 | Reza Goharzad – Journalist, USA |
| 51 | Azam Gorgin, Human Rights Supporter, USA |
| 52 | Ahmad Karimi Hakkak, Professor of Liteture, University of Maryland, USA |
| 53 | Hamid Hamidi – Human Rights Activist, USA |
| 54 | Nader Hashemi – University of Denver, USA |
| 55 | Abbas Hazheer, Poet and Composer, Sweden |
| 56 | Ata Hoodashtian – Associate Professor of Political Science, Swiss UMEF University, Switzerland |
| 57 | Mahmood Jaafari – Political activist, Netherlands |
| 58 | Mehri Jafari – Attorney at Law, LPC at University of Westminister, United Kingdom |
| 59 | Farhang Jahanpour – former professor, University of Isfahan, and tutor in the Middle East Studies, University of Oxford, United Kingdom |
| 60 | Eliosat Jamshidi, Nurse & Human Rights Activist, Sweden |
| 61 | Jahanshah Javid – Publisher iroon.com, USA |
| 62 | Arsalan Kahnemuyipour – Associate Professor of Linguistics, University of Toronto, Canada |
| 63 | Abdee Kalantari – Political Activist and Author, USA |
| 64 | Sadegh Kamali – Political Activist, USA |
| 65 | Mehrangiz Kar – Human Rights lawyer and Author, USA |
| 66 | Kazem Kardavani, Sociologist, retired professor and former executive director of Iran’s Executive director of Iran’s Writer Association, Germany |
| 67 | Nasim Khaksar, writer, Holland |
| 68 | Farideh Kioumehr, DVM,MPH,Dr.PH, 1st Recipient, Peace Award from APHA Founder |
| 69 | Hamid Kowsari – Political Activist, USA |
| 70 | Alan Kushan – |
| 71 | Mazdak Limakeshi, Political Activist, Sweden |
| 72 | Ali Limonadi – Television host and author, USA |
| 73 | Ahmad Machouf – Pediatrician, Canada |
| 74 | Elahe Machouf – Human Rights Activist, Canada |
| 75 | Anousheh Machouf – Psychologist, Canada |
| 76 | Nima Machouf – Epidemiologist, Canada |
| 77 | Ali Akbar Mahdi – PH. D. Department of Sociology, Calif. State University, Northridge, USA |
| 78 | Abbas Milani – Stanford University, USA |
| 79 | Ali Mirsepassi – Professor of Sociology, New York University, USA |
| 80 | Shokooh Mirzadegi – Writer, Journalist and Human rights activist, USA |
| 81 | Mehran Mirfakhrai – Political Activist, Italy |
| 82 | Maryam Moghadam, Human Rights Activist, Canada |
| 83 | Aziz Monajami |
| 84 | Mansoor Moaddel – University of Michigan, USA |
| 85 | Behrooz Moazami, Loyola University New Orleans, U. S. A. |
| 86 | Haideh Moghissi, PhD – Professor emerita and senior scholar Equity Studies, York University, Toronto, Canada |
| 87 | Fariba Davoodi Mohajer – Human Rights Activist/Journalist, USA |
| 88 | Majid Mohammadi – Iran Analyst and TV Host, Former Associate Professor of Sociology, USA |
| 89 | Shahram Mojab |
| 90 | Shahrzad Mojab, PH. D., Professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Canada |
| 91 | Parviz Mokhtari – Human Rights Activist, Germany |
| 92 | Esfandiar Monfaredzadeh – Composer, USA |
| 93 | Ali Nadimi, Political Activist, Austria |
| 94 | Davoud Navaian, Human Rights Activist & Teacher, Sweden |
| 95 | Nicky Nodjoumi , Artist, USA |
| 96 | Farhad Nomani, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Economics, The American University of Paris, France |
| 97 | Shawn Nowakhtar, CPA, USA |
| 98 | Nasser Pakdaman, Writer, France |
| 99 | Koroush Parsa – Political Activist, USA |
| 100 | Misagh Parsa – Dartmouth College, USA |
| 101 | Mahshid Pegahi – Women’s Rights Activist, Germany |
| 102 | Bijan Pirzadeh, Human Rights Activist, USA |
| 103 | Ahmad Purmandi – Political Activist, Germany |
| 104 | Ali Rabodi, Writer, USA |
| 105 | Fariba Rad – Human Rights Activist, USA |
| 106 | Azam Niroomand-Rad, Prof. Emeritus, Radiation Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, USA |
| 107 | Saeed Rahnema, PhD, Retired Professor,York University, Canada |
| 108 | Fatemeh Rezaie – Human Rights Activist, Germany |
| 109 | Taraneh Roosta – Women’s Righs Activist, USA |
| 110 | Banoo Saberi – Wife of a political prisoners executed in 1988, USA |
| 111 | Reza Saffari – Human Rights Activist, Canada |
| 112 | Fatemeh Sanifar, Human Rights Activist |
| 113 | Kourosh Sehati – Human Rights Activist, USA |
| 114 | Soli Shahvar, PH. D. Director, The Ezri Center for Iran @Persian Gulf Studies, The University of Haifa, Israel |
| 115 | Hassan Shariatmadari – Political Activist and Author, Germany |
| 116 | Abbas Shirazi , Political Actvist, Germany |
| 117 | Behrouz Sotoodeh – Political Activist, USA |
| 118 | Raheleh Tarani – Political Activist, Canada |
| 119 | Ali Tayefi, Research Institute of Social Issues, Research and Education, Faculty Member, Sweden |
| 120 | Mehdi Khanbaba Tehrani- Political Activist, Germany |
| 121 | Nayereh Tohidi – Professor at California State University, Northridge, USA |
| 122 | Mehrdad Vahabi, University of Paris, France |
| 123 | Mohsen Yalfani, Writer, France |
| 124 | Reza Fani Yazdi – Former Political Prisoner, Political Analyst, CIO of CPUC, USA |
| 125 | Hamid Zangeneh, Professor of Economics, Widener University, USA |
