Amnesty International’s recent report on the 2022 uprising in Iran unveils the shocking sexual torture endured by detainees, uncovering the deep-seated cruelty of the country’s clerical power. However, this brutality is not an isolated incident but a part of the ongoing struggle for basic rights and liberties since 1980. The initial clash between freedom fighters and the ruling clerics occurred in 1980, as Tehran and other cities witnessed a peaceful resistance. As women and youth joined the opposition in large numbers, Ayatollah Khomeini perceived a grave threat to his regime. In a public speech in June 1980, he identified the enemy within Iran, particularly in Tehran, rather than external entities. The PMOI, a democratic and Muslim group, posed a significant challenge to the misogynistic foundations of the Islamic Republic by advocating for gender equality. In response to the uprising, Khomeini issued a horrifying fatwa, endorsing the rape of virgins before their execution. This grotesque practice became widespread, sparing no generation. Another pivotal confrontation occurred in 1988 when the regime, fearing potential mobilization of political prisoners upon their release, initiated a massive massacre. Khomeini issued a fatwa, resulting in the execution of approximately thirty thousand young political prisoners, regardless of whether they had completed their sentences. This atrocity, aimed at suppressing support for the PMOI, became a symbol of resistance and freedom. Ebrahim Raisi, the current president of the Iranian regime, and other senior officials were directly involved in the 1988 massacre. Raisi has openly proclaimed that adherents to the victims’ ideals are condemned to death, underscoring the regime’s enduring hostility towards freedom fighters. Women in Iran have played a courageous role in resisting the regime, recognizing that its survival is intertwined with hostility towards women and gender discrimination. In its quest to crush resistance, the regime subjects women to unspeakable torments, exposing its war not only against the Iranian people but against humanity itself. Despite the horrors detailed in Amnesty International’s report, the international community’s policy of appeasement towards the religious dictatorship has allowed the regime to manipulate diplomatic channels for terrorism. Recent events, like the war in Gaza, are direct consequences of this appeasement. It is imperative for the international community to put an end to the forty-year impunity of the Iranian regime and ensure its leaders are held accountable for their crimes against humanity. Figures like Khamenei, Raisi, and those responsible for the 1988 massacre must face trial at the international criminal court. Let us break the silence and demand justice for those who have endured four decades of suffering in their unwavering pursuit of freedom.
