Maryam Rajavi Calls for International Commission of Inquiry to Prosecute Perpetrators of The Horrendous Crime of the Massacre of 30,000 Pol. Prisoners + VIDEO & PHOTOS

The Iranian Resistance’s President-elect Maryam Rajavi pointed in her remarks to the expansion of the movement calling for justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners

The 29th anniversary of the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran was observed during a ceremony held in the presence of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the Iranian Resistance’s President-elect, political and human rights dignitaries from the US and Europe, and a large number of PMOI members in Tirana, capital of Albania.

Maryam Rajavi acknowledged in her remarks to the expansion of the movement calling for justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre among Iranians as well as human rights advocates from around the world. She urged the UN Human Rights Council and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to launch an international commission of inquiry to investigate this horrendous crime. She called on the UN Security Council to refer this dossier to the International Criminal Court or a special court to prosecute the perpetrators of this crime against humanity, criminals who are presently among the leaders of the clerical regime.

Mrs. Rajavi emphasized, “How the international community approaches this genocide and this crime against humanity is a litmus test of its adherence to the principles of human rights. The prosecution and punishment of the perpetrators and masterminds of the 1988 massacre are the inalienable rights of human society, the people of Iran, and the PMOI (MEK).

Mrs. Rajavi described the admissions to this crime by the clerical regime officials – made in reaction to the campaign calling for justice over the 1988 massacre - as being among the most important evidences incriminating the regime’s leaders.

A number of political and human rights personalities addressed this ceremony, including Ms. Kerry Kennedy, daughter of the late Senator Robert Kennedy and President of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation; Mr. Mariano Rabino, member of the foreign affairs and human rights committees of the Parliament of Italy; Senator Pietro Liuzzi, member of the cultural and EU policy committees of the Italian Senate; Ms. Ingrid Betancourt, former senator from Columbia; and Mr. Tahar Boumedra, former director of the Human Rights Office of UNAMI.

  From left, Mr. Taher Boumedra, Senator Ingrid Betancourt , Mrs. Maryam Rajavi,  Ms. Kerry Kennedy, Senator Pietro Liuzzi

Mrs. Rajavi said the growth and expansion of the campaign calling for justice dealt a major blow to the mullahs’ religious dictatorship. She said, “This movement made the regime to break its three decades of silence and try to justify this massive slaughter. A number of the regime’s most disgraced murderers tried to defend the massacre. This campaign also defeated Khamenei's major political investment in Ebrahim Raisi, a member of the Death Commission in the 1988 massacre, to become president.”

Maryam Rajavi also noted Rouhani’s choice of Justice Ministers. “In his first term, Hassan Rouhani appointed Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, a member of the Death Commission in Tehran, as his Justice Minister. Now, in his second term, he has nominated as Minister of Justice another perpetrator of the massacre in Khuzistan Province. The European Union has already designated and sanctioned this man, Alireza Avaie, for being directly involved in violations of human rights.”

The Iranian Resistance’s President-elect announced the publication of a new edition of the book titled, Crime against Humanity, which includes the names and particulars of more than 5,000 PMOI martyrs as well as the pictures of hundreds of victims and their graves.

She said, “Owing to the valuable year-round activities of the Resistance’s network inside Iran, in addition to the names and addresses of the graves of the victims, we also have the names of 113 members of the Death Commissions in Tehran and other provinces, nearly all of whom hold key positions in the regime. We also have the names and particulars of 213 criminals who carried out the death decrees in 35 cities as well as information about the locations of several mass graves that had been previously hidden.”

 From left, Mr. Taher Boumedra,  Mrs. Maryam Rajavi,  Ms. Kerry Kennedy  , Senator Pietro Liuzzi, Mariano Rabino

Ms. Kerry Kennedy said: “You are trying to bring back to Iran a government that is based on humanity, not on suffering and oppression, but on compassion and love for one another. And in that, all the world is with you. And I am proud to stand here with you, today. We are here today because we believe in freedom and we stand in solidarity with the people of Iran. We stand against the mullahs who have caused untold terror in your beloved country… The mullahs denied the people of Iran the pride of their extraordinary heritage, a heritage admired across the globe. Iran must be free… (Iran) wrote the first human rights charter some 2500 years ago…”

   Ms. Kerry Kennedy, daughter of the late Senator Robert Kennedy and President of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation

In parts of his speech to the gathering, Senator Pietro Liuzzi said, “The religious dictatorship ruling Iran is doing its best to destroy the PMOI and the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Over the past years, they have tried every scheme to destroy members of the Iranian Resistance. This shows very well that you are its main enemies. This is why the PMOI members’ safe relocation as an intact organization from Iraq and their settlement in Albania has been the greatest blow to the regime.”

“This is not a new policy or Iran. In the summer of 1988, in less than a few weeks, they executed more than 30,000 prisoners. The majority of the victims were from members and affiliates of the PMOI. This was a crime against humanity. One of the several greatest crimes in the contemporary history of mankind. None of those murderers involved in the massacre were ever prosecuted. They did not face justice. Some of the criminals are among the highest officials of the regime.”

“I would like to thank Mrs. Maryam Rajavi for launching this call for justice campaign and for leading this great international campaign. I hope that these activities would soothe the scars of the families of these 30,000 martyrs most of who have been buried in mass graves.”

“The Iranian regime has always been trying to actively destabilize the region. It supports terrorist organizations. Proxy militias play this role for the Iranian regime. It was for this cruel role that the IRGC (Revolutionary Guards) was rightly designated as a terrorist entity [by the U.S.]. Europe must also do the same.”

Mariano Rabino said: “Due to international pressure, Rouhani was compelled to replace Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi with Alireza Avaie, another member of the Death Committee, who was responsible for the murder of many individuals including scores who were juveniles. As previous speakers pointed out, our governments and the EU should give priority to human rights in its dealings with Iran. No realpolitik consideration or business interest should take precedent to human rights. All of us, all human rights advocates, and all those who seek freedom and democracy should urge the UN to provide a factual and documented report on the 1988 massacre. Khamenei, Rouhani and all the regime’s senior officials who were implicated in the 1988 massacre should be brought to justice before the international court in The Hague.”

“All Western governments share the blame, all of them have procrastinated. But eventually a movement has begun and things are moving. In Italy, a majority members of the parliament signed a petition in June, condemning the 1988 massacre and demanding that the masterminds and perpetrators of this massacre be brought to justice.”

“Scores of dictatorial regimes in contemporary history committed crimes against humanity. They enjoyed impunity for a while, but this is the time for awakening. From Nuremberg, to The Hague, to the courts pertaining to the former Yugoslavia, to the trials of crimes against humanity that took place in Africa, Asia, and in America, the dictators and criminals were eventually brought to justice. They had to face the fact findings that were pursued by the international community and by the people of those countries. Now, the time has come for the criminals in Iran.”

Senator Ingrid Betancourt said: “Twenty-nine years ago, Khomeini came with a fatwa that was only comparable to the final solution Hitler enacted years before during World War II. This was the starting chapter of the most cruel years in the history of the people of Iran. And 30,000 people were killed without any legal support... The very frightening part of this story is that we have all the information, all the names, all the documents, the proofs; we have the witnesses; we have the survivors, you. We have the testimonies; we even have the confessions of those who perpetrated those crimes. We have it all but we still have impunity.'

   Senator Ingrid Betancourt, former Columbian presidential candidate

Ms. Betancourt added: “In history, the wrong is only turned into good through justice. If there is no justice, the wrong is still active, the suffering is still active, the pain and the wounds are still open. Today, the criminals that perpetrated those crimes are in highest positions in the government in Iran. They are high officials of the regime... If we are silent, we become accomplice of the crime...

“We need to ask the UN to play its role. We need to ask the High Commissioner for Human Rights to begin an independent inquiry to investigate what we know... Khomeini is gone but those who are alive today have to go on trial in an international court; and we will not have any rest until this is achieved.”

Mr. Taher Boumedra, former director of the Human Rights Office of the United Nations in Iraq, said, “The law is on our side. We will send the fear that you used to suffer from in Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty, the persecution you suffered from, it has to change camps, has to go to Tehran. So, those people who committed those crimes, they must now start to fear, the fear that you used to have in Ashraf and Liberty. That will start from now when the negotiation teams will travel abroad. They cannot just travel without being previously arranging their immunity. Their travel abroad with impunity will come to the end. But I do not want to forget those who were assassinated in Ashraf and in Liberty. Those assassins have to be held accountable as well. So, although our focus today is on the crimes of 1988, we must also focus on the blood that was shed in total impunity in Iraq. So, I hope that we will be able to extend our mandate JVMI (Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran) to cover also the crimes committed in Ashraf and Liberty. And we also need to work very hard to bring those who committed these crimes to justice. It is feasible; it is reachable and we must do it.”

 

    Mr. Tahar Boumedra, former director of the Human Rights Office of UNAMI

The ceremony commemorating the 30,000 political prisoners massacred in 1988 also featured inspiring artistic and theatrical performances.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
August 20, 2017

The following are some photos from the ceremony marking the anniversary of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran

 

   

 

 

 

Iran: Political Prisoners in Ward 4 of Gohardasht Prison in Danger

Political Prisoners in Ward 4 of Gohardasht Prison in Danger

Brussels August 15, 2017--  Following the recent savage attack to political prisoners by Iranian regime, Mr Gérard Deprez ,MEP and Chair of the Friends of a Free Iran committee in the European Parliament, issued this statement:

We are very much concerned about the health and safety of political prisoners in solitary confinement of ward 4 in Gohardasht Prison of Karaj, west of Tehran. They have been on hunger strike to protest the regime’s ruthless attack on the prisoners on 30 July. They were insulted and beaten by prison guards, and forcefully transferred to hall 10 of this ward.

Prison authorities have deprived these political prisoners of minimum hygiene products and decent clothing. They are have been banned from any family visits and been placed under pressures to end their hunger strikes.

Their names are: Abolqassem Fouladvand, Hassan Sadeghi, Saeed Masouri, Reza Akbari Monfared, Jafar Eqdami, Amir Qaziyan, Khaled Heradani, Zaniyar Moradi, Loqman Moradi , Mohammad Banazadeh Amir Khizi, Pirouz Mansouri, Majid Assadi and Payam Shakiba.

Amnesty International recently published a comprehensive report on human rights violations under so called “moderate” Rouhani.

We urge the President of the European Parliament, the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran to publicly condemn the continuous mistreatment of political prisoners in Iran and call for their release.

Gérard Deprez MEP
Chair, Friends of a Free Iran, European Parliamen

THE ONLY ORGANIZED OPPOSITION MEK AND REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN

When confronted with the question of whether the Trump administration backs regime change in Iran, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Washington would work with Iranian opposition groups to reach “peaceful transition of that government.”

The most organized and renowned Iranian opposition group is none other than the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), with the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) being the core member of this coalition.

The MEK enjoys vast support both inside Iran and abroad, along with an unmatched network of activists who dare to show their support for NCRI President Maryam Rajavi and her movement at every opportunity.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) echoed Tillerson’s view, saying, “It’s time the Iranian people had a free and open society and a functioning democracy,” effectively a call for regime change.

Just months ago Senator McCain paid a visit to Albania, where most MEK members are currently stationed after a long ordeal in Iraq. The MEK was the target of numerous attacks by Iran-backed proxy groups and the government of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki prior to their departure from Iraq in 2016.

On July 1, a major convention was held in Paris, where hundreds of political dignitaries from across the globe explicitly called for regime change in Iran and gave their support to the NCRI and MEK.

The MEK’s vast popular base was showcased as over 100,000 members of the Iranian Diaspora rushed to Paris to express their support for Maryam Rajavi, the MEK, and a free and democratic Iran.

Trump allies, including John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the George W. Bush administration, were present and voiced their support for the convention’s cause.

“There is a viable opposition to the rule of the ayatollahs, and that opposition is centered in this room today. I had said for over 10 years since coming to these events, that the declared policy of the United States of America should be … to change the regime itself. And that’s why, before 2019, we here will celebrate in Tehran!” said Bolton.

We are currently at a period of analysis as the President’s National Security Council reviews Washington’s Iran policy. This comprehensive review is focused not only on its nuclear ambitions, but also on human rights and the many violations of international law.

The best and most realistic option before the Trump administration is supporting the pro-democracy coalition of dissidents, the NCRI, which is best able to mobilize other opposition groups into an even broader coalition. This, coupled with the MEK’s vast domestic network inside Iran, poses a major threat to the ruling regime in Tehran.

In his visit to Riyadh, President Trump also expressed strong views about extremist groups, sending a stern message to those supporting such entities.

“Drive them out of your places of worship.” Trump said of the extremists, “Drive them out of your holy land. Drive them out of this earth.”

After the July 1 convention in Paris, reports seen the next day indicated Trump might defy Tehran by signaling his willingness to consider supporting the Iranian opposition.

The Iranian people and their resistance, with the NCRI and MEK at the helm, will bring about “regime change from within.” That is where U.S. and international support will help.

Washington benefits from aligning with the Iranian opposition because this resistance is seeking regime change to bring about democracy and freedom for the Iranian people. In turn, this will help to stabilize the region, by rooting out the central exporter of terrorism and Islamic extremism, the religious fascism ruling Iran.

Thus, President Trump has before him the option of reaching out to the Iranian opposition during his review of Iran policy.

More about MEK:

A Long Conflict between the Clerical Regime and the MEK

The origins of the MEK date back to before the 1979 Iranian Revolution., the MEK helped to overthrow the dictatorship of Shah Reza Pahlavi, but it quickly became a bitter enemy of the emerging the religious fascism under the pretext of Islamic Republic. To this day, the MEK and NCRI describe Ruhollah Khomenei and his associates as having co-opted a popular revolution in order to empower themselves while imposing a fundamentalist view of Islam onto the people of Iran.

Under the Islamic Republic, the MEK was quickly marginalized and affiliation with it was criminalized. Much of the organization’s leadership went to neighboring Iraq and built an exile community called Camp Ashraf, from which the MEK organized activities aimed at ousting the clerical regime and bringing the Iranian Revolution back in line with its pro-democratic origins. But the persistence of these efforts also prompted the struggling regime to crack down with extreme violence on the MEK and other opponents of theocratic rule.

The crackdowns culminated in the massacre of political prisoners in the summer of 1988, as the Iran-Iraq War was coming to a close. Thousands of political prisoners were held in Iranian jails at that time, many of them having already served out their assigned prison sentences. And with the MEK already serving as the main voice of opposition to the regime at that time, its members and supporters naturally made up the vast majority of the population of such prisoners.

As the result of a fatwa handed down by Khomeini, the regime convened what came to be known as the Death Commission, assigning three judges the task of briefly interviewing prisoners to determine whether they retained any sympathy for the MEK or harbored any resentment toward the existing government. Those who were deemed to have shown any sign of continued opposition were sentenced to be hanged. After a period of about three months, an estimated 30,000 people had been put to death. Many other killings of MEK members preceded and followed that incident, so that today the Free Iran rally includes an annual memorial for approximately 120,000 martyrs from the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.

The obvious motive behind the 1988 massacre and other such killings was the destruction of the MEK. And yet it has not only survived but thrived, gaining allies to form the NCRI and acquiring the widespread support that is put on display at each year’s Free Iran rally. In the previous events, the keynote speech was delivered by Maryam Rajavi, who has been known to receive several minutes of applause from the massive crowd as she takes the stage. Her speeches provide concrete examples of the vulnerability of the clerical regime and emphasize the ever-improving prospects for the MEK to lead the way in bringing about regime change.

The recipients of that message are diverse and they include more than just the assembled crowd of MEK members and supporters. The expectation is that the international dignitaries at each year’s event will carry the message of the MEK back to their own governments and help to encourage more policymakers to recognize the role of the Iranian Resistance in the potential creation of a free and democratic Iranian nation. It is also expected that the event will inspire millions of Iranians to plan for the eventual removal of the clerical regime. And indeed, the MEK broadcasts the event via its own satellite television network, to millions of Iranian households with illegal hookups.

MEK’s Domestic Activism and Intelligence Network

What’s more, the MEK retains a solid base of activists inside its Iranian homeland. In the run-up to this year’s Free Iran rally the role of those activists was particularly evident, since the event comes just a month and a half after the latest Iranian presidential elections, in which heavily stage-managed elections resulted in the supposedly moderate incumbent Hassan Rouhani securing reelection. His initial election in 2013 was embraced by some Western policymakers as a possible sign of progress inside the Islamic Republic, but aside from the 2015 nuclear agreement with six world powers, none of his progressive-sounding campaign promises have seen the light of day.

Rouhani’s poor record has provided additional fertile ground for the message of the MEK and Maryam Rajavi. The Iranian Resistance has long argued that change from within the regime is impossible, and this was strongly reiterated against the backdrop of the presidential elections, when MEK activists used graffiti, banners, and other communications to describe the sitting president as an “imposter.” Many of those same communications decried Rouhani’s leading challenger, Ebrahim Raisi, as a “murderer,” owing to his leading role in the massacre of MEK supporters in 1988.

That fact helped to underscore the domestic support for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, insofar as many people who participated in the election said they recognized Raisi as the worst the regime had to offer, and that they were eager to prevent him from taking office. But this is not to say that voters saw Rouhani in a positive light, especially where the MEK is concerned. Under the Rouhani administration, the Justice Minister is headed by Mostafa Pourmohammadi, who also served on the Death Commission and declared as recently as last year that he was proud of himself for having carried out what he described as God’s command of death for MEK supporters.

With this and other aspects of the Islamic Republic’s record, the MEK’s pre-election activism was mainly focused on encouraging Iranians to boycott the polls. The publicly displayed banners and posters urged a “vote for regime change,” and many of them included the likeness of Maryam Rajavi, suggesting that her return to Iran from France would signify a meaningful alternative to the hardline servants of the clerical regime who are currently the only option in any Iranian national election.

Naturally, this direct impact on Iranian politics is the ultimate goal of MEK activism. But it performs other recognizable roles from its position in exile, not just limited to the motivational and organization role of the Free Iran rally and other, smaller gatherings. In fact, the MEK rose to particular international prominence in 2005 when it released information that had been kept secret by the Iranian regime about its nuclear program. These revelations included the locations of two secret nuclear sites: an uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and a heavy water plant at Arak, capable of producing enriched plutonium.

As well as having a substantial impact on the status of international policy regarding the Iranian nuclear program, the revelations also highlighted the MEK’s popular support and strong network inside Iran. Although Maryam Rajavi and the rest of the leadership of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran reside outside of the country, MEK affiliates are scattered throughout Iranian society with some even holding positions within hardline government and military institutions, including the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Drawing upon the resources of that intelligence network, the MEK has continued to share crucial information with Western governments in recent years, some of it related to the nuclear program and some of it related to other matters including terrorist training, military development, and the misappropriation of financial resources. The MEK has variously pointed out that the Revolutionary Guard controls well over half of Iran’s gross domestic product, both directly and through a series of front companies and close affiliates in all manner of Iranian industries.

In February of this year, the Washington, D.C. office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran held press conferences to detail MEK intelligence regarding the expansion of terrorist training programs being carried out across Iran by the Revolutionary Guards. The growth of these programs reportedly followed upon direct orders from Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and coincided with increased recruitment of foreign nationals to fight on Tehran’s behalf in regional conflicts including the Syrian and Yemeni civil wars.

In the weeks following that press conference, the MEK’s parent organization also prepared documents and held other talks explaining the source of some of the Revolutionary Guards’ power and wealth. Notably, this series of revelations reflected upon trends in American policy toward the Islamic Republic of Iran. And other revelations continue to do so, even now.

MEK Intelligence Bolstering US Policy Shifts

Soon after taking office, and around the time the MEK identified a series of Revolutionary Guard training camps, US President Donald Trump directed the State Department to review the possibility of designating Iran’s hardline paramilitary as a foreign terrorist organization. Doing so would open the Revolutionary Guards up to dramatically increased sanctions – a strategy that the MEK prominently supports as a means of weakening the barriers to regime change within Iran.

The recent revelations of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran have gone a long way toward illustrating both the reasons for giving this designation to the Revolutionary Guards and the potential impact of doing so. Since then, the MEK has also used its intelligence gathering to highlight the ways in which further sanctioning the Guards could result in improved regional security, regardless of the specific impact on terrorist financing.

For example, in June the NCRI’s Washington, D.C. office held yet another press conference wherein it explained that MEK operatives had become aware of another order for escalation that had been given by Supreme Leader Khamenei, this one related to the Iranian ballistic missile program. This had also been a longstanding point of contention for the Trump administration and the rest of the US government, in light of several ballistic missile launches that have been carried out since the conclusion of nuclear negotiations, including an actual strike on eastern Syria.

That strike was widely viewed as a threatening gesture toward the US. And the MEK has helped to clarify the extent of the threat by identifying 42 separate missile sites scattered throughout Iran, including one that was working closely with the Iranian institution that had previously been tasked with weaponizing aspects of the Iranian nuclear program.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) led by Maryam Rajavi is thus going to great lengths to encourage the current trend in US policy, which is pointing to more assertiveness and possibly even to the ultimate goal of regime change. The MEK is also striving to move Europe in a similar direction, and the July 1 gathering is likely to show further progress toward that goal. This is because hundreds of American and European politicians and scholars have already declared support for the NCRI and MEK and the platform of Maryam Rajavi. The number grows every year, while the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran continues to collect intelligence that promises to clarify the need for regime change and the practicality of their strategy for achieving it.

THOSE WHO MET THEIR APPOINTMENT WITH FREEDOM

On the anniversary of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in IranThe 1988 massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners in Iran has been described as the worst crime against humanity since World War II.28 years after this genocide, the Iranian regime still refuses to acknowledge the executions, or provide any information as to how many prisoners were killed.

 Based on eyewitness accounts of survivors, the massacre had been prepared for from at least a year before. The order for the massacre came from Khomeini directly in the form of a religious decree (fatwa), calling for the execution of all who remained steadfast in their support for the opposition People's Mojahedin of Iran.[2]

A so-called Amnesty Commission (better known among prisoners as the Death Commission) asked a simple question from every prisoner: do you still support the PMOI/MEK? Those who answered yes were executed, even if they had already finished serving their original sentence.[3] None of the victims had any new activities while in detention and many of them were 15 or 16 years of age at the time of original arrest and prosecution.

The executions started in the last week of July, peaking on July 28 until August 14, and continuing onto autumn and even the following year in some places.

Naturally, the vast majority of the victims were members and supporters of the PMOI/MEK, but the order extended to other groups in later stages.

Prisoners were hanged in groups, sometimes 10 to 15 at a time, and later transported out of prison by dump trucks, and buried in unmarked mass graves. There was no mercy on anyone, even young girls and pregnant women.

Khomeini’s haste to execute was so abhorrent many of his closest confidantes had doubts about it. Hossein Ali Montazeri, Khomeini's heir apparent and the country's second highest authority at the time, urged for leniency and a slowdown.[4]

In a book of memoirs published in December 2000, Montazeri pointed out the vicious tortures practiced especially against young girls and women before execution during the 1988 massacre.

In a famous letter to Khomeini which led to his ouster, Montazeri wrote, "If you probably insist on your decision, at least order (the three-man Death Commission) to base their rulings on unanimous vote not that of the majority. And women should also be made exceptions, especially women who have children. And finally, the execution of several thousand people in several days will backfire."

From this letter we can understand the role and impact of women in the prisons of those days. They were firm and resilient and inspired resistance despite knowing the fact that they would have to go through the horrifying experience rape before being hanged. But they said NO to the executioners.

It has been reported that 80 percent of PMOI women detained in the Women's Ward 3 of Evin Prison had been massacred by September 1988. They included Monireh Rajavi, who had two small daughters and was executed only because she was the sister of the Iranian Resistance's Leader Massoud Rajavi. There was also Ashraf Ahmadi, a political prisoner from the Shah's time, with four children. The victims also included a wide range of people from various professions, including PMOI's female candidates for parliamentary elections Fatemeh Zare'ii from Shiraz, and Zohreh Ainol-Yagheen from Isfahan. Dr. Hamideh Sayyahi and Dr. Shourangiz Karimian, along with her sister, and National Volleyball Team player Forouzan Abdi were among those executed in the 1988 massacre.

An audio clip just recently released by Montazeri's family on his website, also reveals dreadful details about the massacre of women. The tape recording from Mr. Montazeri's meeting with members of the Death Commission, includes an example about the execution of a 15-year-old girl who had been taken to prison only two days before to break her resistant brother but since she did not denounce her executed brother, she was executed, as well.

The tape also includes reference to the execution of a pregnant woman in Isfahan. 

The overall picture of the 1988 massacre is totally inadequate because the massacre was extensive, carried out in prisons all across the country. In some instances, there was not any survivor. The clerical regime dealt with every information regarding the massacre as top secret, not allowing any leaks.  

So, what is known about the massacre has been extracted and pieced together from the limited number of reports by survivors and families who were called to collect the bodies of their loved ones,[5] as well as from scattered acknowledgments made by the regime's former officials as noted in this article.

The other side of this crime against humanity is of course, the steadfastness of a generation of prisoners who did not buckle under the threat of death and defended their identity which was akin to their nation's freedom. They thus sealed their nation's right to freedom of choice and thought, and turned this great crime against humanity into an epical humane epitome of human grace and grit which makes every conscientious human being humble before its magnificence.

The Iranian Resistance has renewed its call for the international prosecution of all perpetrators of the 1988 massacre and crime against humanity in Iran, who are still in power and hold important positions of authority. They include Khamenei (then President under Khomeini), Rafsanjani (then acting Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces), Rouhani (then assistant to the acting Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces), and members of the death commission, Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi (Minister of Justice under Hassan Rouhani), Hossein-Ali Nayyeri (head of the Supreme Disciplinary Court for Judges under Rouhani), Morteza Eshraqi (then Prosecutor), and Ebrahim Raeesi (one of the top clerics, member of the Assembly of Experts, and Khamenei's appointed head of Astan Qods-e Razavi foundation, which is an important political and economic powerhouses funding the regime's war efforts).

[1] A former Intelligence Ministry deputy recorded a video clip in 2008, in which he revealed that the clerical regime had massacred some 33,700 political prisoners and buried them in mass graves. According to Reza Malek, there are between 170 to 190 mass graves across the country.

[2] "Whoever at any stage continues to belong to the (PMOI/MEK) must be executed," Khomeini's fatwa read.

[3] Khomeini assigned a three-member so-called "Amnesty Commission", who held summary trials and actually interrogated prisoners to determine their fate.

The questions were focused on whether the inmate continued to have any allegiances to the PMOI/MEK. If the prisoners were not willing to fully collaborate with the regime against the PMOI/MEK, it was viewed as a sign of sympathy to the organization and the sentence was immediate execution.

[4] Montazeri was ousted and placed under house arrest until his death in 2009, for his protests against the massacre.  

[5] A report from Shiraz indicated: "When the rumors of the massacres spread among the public, we referred to the prison. Executioners told us, 'What you expected, that we serve you sweets and candies? We killed 860 people at once in one day! Now, if you hold a funeral, we will raze down your house as well.' "

Iran: Propaganda Against PMOI/MEK, Focusing on the 1980s

NCRI - In response to the widespread justice-seeking campaign for the 1988 massacre and the slogan of no to executioner, no to imposter (no to Ibrahim Raisi and no to Hassan Rouhani), the Iranian regime’s Council for Coordinating Propaganda announced that the propaganda against the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) centered around the eighties is at the top of its agenda.

According to the government media, Nosratullah Lotfi, deputy of this organization, said: “We have taken steps to introduce the martyr and hangman to the people. The Supreme Leader (Khamenei) said that the place of the executioner and the martyr should not be changed.”

“We put two points on our agenda. The first is to review the events in the 1980s. The leader raised the issue in the electoral space, as some had the intention of purifying the Mojahedin,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kamal Kharrazi, a former foreign minister and head of the regime’s Foreign Relations Council, expressed concerns over the role of the Mojahedin and Iranian Resistance in Europe, as he met with officials from the European countries who came to Tehran to participate in the inauguration of the regime’s President Hassan Rouhani.

According to state-run media reports, he said in a meeting with the foreign policy chief of the European Union, while calling the PMOI a terrorist group, “one problem with Europe is the application of dual standards in the fight against terrorism, so that the PMOI which is a terrorist group, is welcomed in Europe and is freely destroying the relations between Iran and European countries.”

Kharrazi also expressed his horror of the activities of the Iranian Resistance in France, in a meeting with Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, a Secretary of State and the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and said: “... Sheltering (the Mojahedin) and their freedom of action for various activities, including their presence in the French Parliament, are not acceptable.”

ANALYSIS: Are sanctions on Iran a sign of shifting US policy?

President Donald Trump

F. Mahmoudi,

Al Arabiya, 6 August 2017 - The enactment of a comprehensive sanction bill and designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) by US lawmakers targeting Tehran’s military and terrorist arm, is a significant signal of shifting US policy in reaction to Iran’s destabilizing role in the region. The regime is beginning to realize that the Obama era is over.

This alteration in US policy acts as a catalyst and facilitator of change inside of Iran. However, the main factor and grass roots of change are inside Iran.

This pivot point for a policy change has an accelerating role and is influenced by the ineradicable behavior of the Islamic Republic and on the other hand the will of people’s resistance to achieve in such policy.

Now, the question remains on the Iranian regime’s reaction and choice of direction to the new sanction bill. In such crises, the Iranian regime has a track record of buying time (delaying tactic) and taking one step forward and one step backward, as witnessed in previous nuclear negotiations.

If Obama’s policy of appeasement and concessions was decisive, Tehran would have been forced to step further back from their evil approach. But this did not happen, and the regime was constantly revived through newly provided funds and sanction relief. Instead, Tehran expanded its destabilizing role and terrorist activities in the region.

The adoption of new sanctions so far has put Iran in a shocking stage. If these sanctions are seriously applied and extensively implemented, Tehran will be pinned to make an ultimate decision.

Retreating or challenging

Iran faces widespread and profound social dissatisfaction, parallel to economic insolvency and serious crises. It understands the language of force and lacks the ability to challenge. The most likely option for Tehran is to kill time and continue delaying.

To prevent the regime’s highly cheating skills, the best policy is to enforce and maximize pressure. Tehran is a fundamentalist and rebellious regime without any legitimacy. It is incapable in changing its behavior. According to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, changing the regime’s behavior will ultimately bring the regime down.

Therefore, there will be no transformation or reform from such a regime. The Iranian people are keen towards overthrowing this regime and the comprehensive and extensive sanctions on IRGC is aligned and in support of their will for regime change.

The social conditions in Iran have come to a boiling point and the opposition movement has the potential and an upper hand. The path forward is social rebellions to overthrow this regime.

During the 2009 uprisings Iranians were chanting: “Obama, Obama are you with us or the mullahs? ” as they called in vain for international support.

 

The policy shift

The Iran policy shift has its effect inside the regime and they have been vocal about it. In this regard the “Resalat daily”, regime’s controlled paper, in its July 31, 2017, issue, pointing to the change in the international affairs towards the Iranian regime states: “Behind the sanctions belies a boycott campaign. There will be an overthrowing in a soft, sophisticated and silent way,” a recent piece in the state outlet Resalat daily reads.

Ahmad Jannati, Chairman of the Guardian Council, also raised deep concerns. “[Khamenei’s] most important concern is the fear of overthrow,” and “the enemy is seeking regime change from within,” he said.

Iran won’t have the same fate as Iraq and Syria since there is an organized democratic and powerful opposition. This alternative is the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a democratic platform which the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) is the main force. On July 1st the NCRI demonstrated its strength and abilities by gathering hundreds of thousand supporters in Paris, all seeking regime change in Iran.

The NCRI demands a boycott in international diplomatic and economic relations and expelling Iranian regime representatives from international assemblies. The IRGC and affiliated proxies must also be evicted from the region.

The appeasement policy

On a side-note, the Iranian regime feeds off its lobbies’ propaganda and advocates promoting yet again the appeasement policy, aimed at justifying and legitimizing beneficial relations with Iran. The regime’s lobby argues the international community should cooperate with Tehran as there is no alternative other than war. This absurd propaganda is promoted while the IRGC has been in the war in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.

In same regards, US Secretary of States Rex Tillerson recently insisted on cooperation with Russia to tackle terrorism and end the Syria war.

“Iran’s military influence, the direct presence of Iranian military forces inside of Syria, they must leave and go home, whether those are Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces or whether those are paid militias, foreign fighters that Iran has brought into Syria” he said.All evidence shows the only path to peace and stability in Iran and the Middle East is to support the NCRI and pressure Tehran through extensive sanctions.The NCRI issued a statement welcoming the new law imposing sanctions against Iran and the Revolutionary Guards, emphasizing its immediate implementation meticulously without exception.Furthermore, NCRI President-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajaviunderscored these sanctions must be implemented immediately against all individuals and entities involved in executing and torturing the Iranian people, especially those directly involved in the 1988 massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners.Rajavi also emphasized that the people’s right of resistance for regime change must be recognized. She also views these collective ultimately resulting in stability and peace in the region.