Express Report on Iran's Bloody Secrets: Exposing the Islamic Republic's Ongoing Horrific Crimes
Express wrote in a report: According to a newly published study by Amnesty International, the Iranian government is involved in "ongoing crimes against humanity" stemming from the massacre of thousands of political opponents in 1988.
The 1988 executions were a series of government-sponsored executions of political prisoners across Iran. The majority of those killed were supporters of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, although supporters of other groups were also executed. The killings have been described as a political settlement.
There are varying accounts of the number of those executed, ranging from 30,000 to nearly 4,500, with Amnesty International believing the latter. In a new Amnesty International report, “Iran’s Bloody Secrets: Why Iran’s 1988 Prison Massacres Are Ongoing Crimes Against Humanity,” it is stated that more details of the massacre have been revealed as victims seek justice for their loved ones.
The 201-page report, published on December 4, claims: “Between July and September 1988, Iranian authorities secretly forcibly and extrajudicially disappeared or executed thousands of political opposition prisoners and buried their bodies in unmarked mass graves.”
"Since then, the authorities have treated these killings as state secrets, torturing the relatives of the executed by refusing to provide any explanation of how and why the killings took place or where they were buried."
"No official has been prosecuted; in some cases, those involved in the killings were or were in positions of power."
Among the theories put forward for these executions is retaliation for attacks by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran from the western border in 1988.
"Iran is an ancient country with an excellent record of human rights, but under the rule of the mullahs it has lost not only its dignity but also its national assets," says Sheila Ninevai, a former political prisoner and human rights activist.
Masoud Dalvand, a human rights activist and anti-regime blogger, believes: "As a result of three decades of silence from the international community about the killing of political prisoners in Iran, the mullahs have continued to violate human rights in Iran with impunity and have launched terrorist operations and catastrophic wars in the Middle East and other countries. Now is the time to end this silence."
Ahmad Ebrahimi, a detainee in Gohardasht prison, says of his shocking experience from those days: "150 of us were taken to the interrogation room to express our opinion about the regime. If we did not say that we were supporters of the regime, they would kill us immediately."
Raha Bahreini, senior researcher on Iran at Amnesty International, calls on the United Nations to "reach out to the families and survivors": "We believe that this serious violation of human rights in Iran, since 1988, is tied to the Iranian authorities' impunity for committing crimes against humanity."
Source: Voice of America
