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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