Amnesty International: Iran Should Allow DNA Testing to Identify Those Executed in 1988
Amnesty International released a report marking the thirtieth anniversary of the widespread executions of political prisoners in Iran, stating that the Islamic Republic’s authorities continue crimes against humanity by concealing the fate and burial locations of thousands of opposition detainees.
The report, released on Tuesday, December 4, titled “Secrets Drenched in Blood: The 1988 Massacre – A Crime Against Humanity That Continues,” has called on the United Nations to launch independent investigations into unlawful killings and the widespread forced disappearances of opponents that have gone unpunished for three decades.
Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa director, referenced in the report the killing and forced disappearance of thousands of opponents of the Islamic Republic in the summer of 1988, stating that the Islamic Republic has spent the past 30 years destroying evidence and facts about this crime both inside and outside the country.
Referencing the continued pressure on families of those executed in 1988, the violation of their right to mourn and proper burial, and even the destruction of remains in identified graves, the report states: “Instead of their relentless attacks on families, the authorities of the Islamic Republic should assure them of their rights regarding knowing the truth, implementing justice, and receiving compensation; including through the delivery of victims’ bodies and identification of remains by allowing the presence of mass grave specialists and DNA analysts.”
Amnesty International referred in its report to the dispersal of mass graves across 32 cities in Iran.
Previously, reports of grave destruction and elimination of evidence of burial sites of those executed in 1988 had been published.
In September of this year, following concerns about the destruction of graves of those executed, the London-based organization “Justice for Iran” unveiled the “Khak-e Ranj” website, which is a comprehensive map of mass graves of political prisoners in Iran.
On this website, the precise or approximate locations of mass graves, primarily related to executions in the 1960s in Iran, have been identified. This interactive map allows users to participate in providing new information about mass graves in Iran.
Amnesty International and Justice for Iran had previously warned in a joint report, citing eyewitness testimony and video and satellite imagery, about the Islamic Republic’s efforts to destroy seven mass graves in the provinces of Gilan, East Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Khuzestan, Razavi Khorasan, and Tehran.
Source: Voice of America
