Geneva, June 19, 2024 – A landmark report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Iran, Prof. Javaid Rehman, was presented in Geneva, addressing the mass executions of 1981-1982 and the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran. The report, titled “Atrocity Crimes and Grave Violations of Human Rights Committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran (1981–1982 and 1988),” marks the first extensive UN investigation into these events, highlighting a significant step towards justice for the victims.
Organized by Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI), the conference featured a distinguished panel discussing the report’s findings and implications. Prof. Rehman detailed the extensive research behind the report, which exposes the horrifying details of these mass executions and the systemic groundwork that enabled such atrocities.
The report implicates prominent Iranian figures, including former President Ebrahim Raisi and current presidential candidate Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, who were members of the Tehran Death Commission responsible for the 1988 executions. Prof. Rehman emphasized that the ongoing human rights abuses in Iran are deeply connected to these unaddressed crimes, fostering a persistent culture of impunity.
“The deeply rooted nature of these atrocities and the ongoing human rights abuses in Iran demonstrate a clear link to the history of unpunished crimes, reinforcing the need for international accountability and justice,” Prof. Rehman stated. He underscored the report’s significance, noting, “It is not a historical issue, as many people think. It is a live issue with serious concerns about gross violations of human rights.”
Highlighting the classification of the 1988 massacre as a potential crime of genocide, Prof. Rehman referenced a fatwa issued by Khomeini that deemed the Mujahideen, or PMOI, as a deviant sect, effectively labeling them non-Muslims. He called upon the international community to establish an investigative and accountability mechanism to preserve evidence and testimonies.
The conference, chaired by Tahar Boumedra, former Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Iraq and Director of JVMI, emphasized the importance of the report for victims and their families. Boumedra criticized the politicization of human rights issues by the UN Human Rights Council and advocated for the establishment of an independent world court of human rights.
The panel included Judge Wolfgang Schomburg, former Judge at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and Grażyna Baranowska, Member of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), who participated online. Judge Schomburg called for innovative mechanisms to address crimes like the 1988 massacre, citing the International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) established for Syria as a model.
Ms. Baranowska reiterated the importance of addressing enforced disappearances in Iran, stressing the need for continued pressure on Iranian authorities to resolve these cases. The conference was attended by ambassadors and delegates from various missions at the UN Headquarters in Geneva, reflecting the international community’s growing concern over Iran’s human rights record.