At the Free Iran World Summit in Rome on 31 July 2025, Professor Javaid Rehman, former UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, delivered a chilling video message—warning that Tehran may be preparing another mass political prisoner massacre, echoing the horrors of 1988. Earlier that month, on 7 July, a state-affiliated media outlet openly advocated for repeating the infamous 1988 killings, escalating fears of another large-scale atrocity today.NCR Iran
Professor Rehman stressed that his 2024 findings documented “summary, arbitrary, extrajudicial executions amounting to crimes against humanity and genocide.” He emphasized that the Iranian regime has effectively weaponized the death penalty to quash dissent. In his words: “The regime has weaponized the death penalty to exterminate dissent. The international community failed to act in 1988. It must not fail again.”NCR IranCenter for Human Rights in Iran
His warning is rooted in well-documented research. In July 2024, Rehman issued a pointed call to investigate Iran’s “atrocity crimes”—including extra-judicial executions during the 1981–82 and 1988 periods, acts he described as crimes against humanity and genocide.Center for Human Rights in Iran In addition, he urged the establishment of an independent international investigative mechanism to hold perpetrators accountable. At the summit, he reiterated: “We must prevent another silent and unreported massacre like 1988.”NCR Iran
His message underscores both a moral and practical urgency: the legacy of impunity from past massacres empowers the current regime to continue its campaign of repression. Without concrete international action, such patterns risk repeating with catastrophic consequences.
By issuing this warning, Rehman seeks to awaken global consensus and action. He called upon UN member states to launch a formal mechanism aimed at investigating violations, preserving crucial evidence, and prosecuting those responsible—domestically or through universal jurisdiction—before it’s too late.
This appeal is not abstract; it comes at a moment when Iran leads the world in executions per capita, with a dramatic rise reported in 2024—a 17% increase over the previous year—largely carried out in secrecy.ECPM
Professor Rehman’s address is more than a remembrance of past atrocities—it is a clarion call for vigilance, accountability, and the protection of human life. It reminds international bodies and civil society alike that failure to act invites history to repeat itself.
As voices at the summit rallied behind justice and democratic transformation, Rehman’s sobering message was a pivotal moment—an urgent plea to avoid silence, impunity, and tragedy.