۱۳۹۲ مرداد ۲۷, یکشنبه

On the 25thanniversary of mass killings of Iranian political prisoners in the summer of 1988, let’s commemorate and honor the loss of lives in that national tragedy



On the 25thanniversary of mass killings of Iranian political prisoners in the summer of 1988, let’s commemorate and honor the loss of lives in that national tragedy

This year, the 25th remembrance of the massacre of Iranian political prisoners of 1988, has a special meaning. Upon the constant efforts by the families, survivors, human rights groups and support by freedom-loving Iranians and non-Iranians, for the first time, the 1988 atrocities are recognized as crimes against humanity by the Parliament of Canada. Twenty five years ago, in these days and weeks, the killing machine of the Islamic Republic, under the direct order of Ayatollah Khomeini, executed more than 4500 political prisoners. The only “crime” those freedom-loving people had “perpetrated”was that they thought differently from the rulers, and in spite of their completed or nearly completed sentences, they were put to death. The extent of this tragic massacre was gradually revealed, and ever since, it has been acknowledged by some in the international community as crimes against humanity.
The executioners of the Islamic Republic buried the bodies of these pro-democracy activists in unmarked mass graves and robbed the families from grieving on their much deserved burial grounds. Throughout Iran, there are tens of such sites and the biggest of all is Khavaran, located in the outskirts of Tehran. The families have been able to locate the deceased which in itself is evidence of 34 years of violent repression by the Islamic Republic. In honoring these martyred civil activists who have been, inhumanely put to death, their relatives and defenders of justice, with the steady flow of flowers, have converted these previously unknown resting places to centers of ceaseless collective resistance to the ruling theocracy.
During the last 25 years, none of the officials of the Islamic Republic have acknowledged anything about this horrendous massacre. In fact, the policy of killing and eradication of dissidents, inside and outside the country, continues to date and occasionally names of the responsible functionaries, such as Saeed Imami and Ghazi Mortazavi are exposed. Silence on the part of officials exacerbates state terrorism against its own citizens. After the demonstrations by millions of people against the presidential election fraud in 2009 and the rise of the Green Movement, we have witnessed a new wave of crackdown, incarcerations, disappearances, and killings of social and civil activists. The torture centers such as Kahrizak remind us of the grim dark days of the first decade after the revolution. In this period, hundreds of political prisoners perished, under torture and execution in the prisons of the Islamic Republic. Ignoring these heinous crimes without an investigation of the culpable officials has been a contributing factor to the continuing suppression and state terror in Iran.
The new president’s appointment of the criminal figure Mostafa Pour Muhammadi as Minister of Justice foreshadows a gloomy prospect regarding the status of human rights and political freedom during the term of 11th president. Pour Muhammadi was a member of the three-person committee (known as the “magistrates of death”) that without any doubt ordered the death sentences of political prisoners in 1988 and continued to be a central figure in the political serial killings of the 1990s with the blood of thousands of innocent Iranians on his hands. Such an individual has no place in governmental positions. Instead, he should be tried as a criminal just as the human rights groups have demanded. Among the urgent aspirations of people in the recent election has been the investigation of the conditions of the political prisoners, the demand for their release, as well as the freedom of the three leaders of the Green Movement, Mirhossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi and Zahra Rahnavard. Ignoring these demands, no doubt, makes the achievement of Rowhani’s slogans during his presidential candidacy doubtful.
The people of Iran, as every other international community, demand freedom of expression and thought. Until that goal is achieved, repression and imprisonment of dissidents and those who think differently will continue. The people of Iran and surviving families will not forget, neither forgive, but demand that the injustices of the last 34 years be reckoned with and those responsible for these crimes, particularly the mass killings of the political prisoners in 1988, to be put on trial.
On this anniversary of the 1988 tragedy,we, along with many human rights activists outside of Iran, honor the memory of those who were martyred in the struggle for freedom and justice by renewing our commitment to continue with our endeavors to pursue truth and bring the criminal officials to justice. We ask of all those concerned about liberty and justice to join us in publicizing the pressing pleas of the victims’ families.

Solidarity for Human rights in Iran – summer 2013

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