The Massacre 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners

1 massacre

1.1 khomeini s order
1.2 administering of executions
1.3 isolation of prisoners
1.4 dealing mojahedin
1.5 dealing leftists
1.6 dealing women
1.7 families
1.8 estimates of fatalities
1.9 international reaction , criticism

the massacre

ruhollah khomeini


khomeini s order

shortly before executions commenced, iranian leader ruhollah khomeini issued secret extraordinary order – suspect formal fatwa. set special commissions instructions execute members of people s mojahedin organization of iran moharebs (those war against allah) , leftists mortads (apostates islam).

in part letter reads:

از آنجا که منافقین خائن به هیچ وجه به اسلام معتقد نبوده و هر چه میگویند از روی حیله و نفاق آنهاست و به اقرار سران آنها از اسلام ارتداد پیدا کرده‌اند، با توجه به محارب بودن آنها و جنگ کلاسیک آنها در شمال و غرب و جنوب کشور با همکاری‌های حزب بعث عراق و نیز جاسوسی آنها برای صدام علیه ملت مسلمان ما و با توجه به ارتباط آنان با استکبار جهانی و ضربات ناجوانمردانهٔ آنان از ابتدای تشکیل نظام جمهوری اسلامی تا کنون، کسانی که در زندانهای سراسر کشور بر سر موضع نفاق خود پافشاری کرده و میکنند، محارب و محکوم به اعدام میباشند.

translation 1:

since:

all jailed pmoi members continue supporting pmoi , positions considered militant enemies , need executed.

translation 2:

[in name of god, compassionate, merciful,]

as treacherous monafeqin [mojahedin] not believe in islam , out of deception , hypocrisy, and
leaders have confessed have become renegades, and
waging war on god, and
engaging in classical warfare in western, northern , southern fronts, and
collaborating baathist party of iraq , spying saddam against our muslim nation, and
tied world arrogance, , in light of cowardly blows islamic republic since inception,
decreed in prison throughout country , remain steadfast in support monafeqin [mojahedin] waging war on god , condemned execution.

administering of executions

evin prison



gohardasht prison

in tehran special commission executions had 16 members representing various authorities of islamic government – imam khomeini himself, president, chief prosecutor, revolutionary tribunals, ministries of justice , intelligence, , administration of evin , gohar dasht, 2 prisons in tehran area prisoner eliminated. chair of commission ayatollah morteza eshraqi. 2 special assistants hojatt al-islam hossein-ali nayyeri , hojjat al-islam ali mobasheri. commission shuttled , forth between evin , gohar dasht prisons helicopter. in provinces similar commissions established, less known them.

another description of administration of executions has implemented four-man commission, later known death committee . members hossein-ali nayyeri ( judge), morteza eshraqi (then tehran prosecutor), ebrahim raisi (then deputy prosecutor general) , mostafa pourmohammadi (then representative of intelligence ministry in evin prison). ebrahim raisi, went on campaign president of iran in 2017 hard-line conservative criticized rôle in executions.

the prisoners not executed without proceedings, tried on charges totally unrelated charges had landed them in prison. interviewed commissions set list of questions see if qualified moharebs or mortads satisfaction of commission. many, if not most, of prisoners unaware of true purpose of questions, although later warned prison grapevine.

some of victims killed because of beliefs religion – because atheists or because muslims followed different versions of islam.

isolation of prisoners

some scholarly examinations of massacre argue planning stages of 1988 massacre began months before actual executions started. according 1 report: prison officials took unusual step in late 1987 , 1988 of re-questioning , separating political prisoners according party affiliation , length of sentence. actual execution process began in hours of 19 july 1988 isolation of political prisoners outside world. prison gates closed, scheduled visits , telephone calls canceled, letters, care packages, , vital medicines outside turned away, main law courts went on unscheduled vacation. relatives of prisoners forbidden congregate outside prison gates.

inside prison, cell blocks isolated each other , cleared of radios , televisions. places prisoners gathered communally, such lecture halls, workshops, infirmaries, closed down , inmates confined cells. prison guards , workers ordered not speak prisoners. 1 prisoner constructed homemade wireless set listen radio news outside found news broadcasters saying nothing @ lockdown.

dealing mojahedin

the first prisoners interviewed or tried male mojahedin, including had repented of association group. commission prefaced proceedings false assurance not trial process initiating general amnesty , separating muslims non-muslims.

it first asked organisational affiliation; if replied mojahedin , questioning ended there. if replied monafeqin (hypocrites), commission continued such questions as:

willing denounce former colleagues?
willing denounce them in front of cameras?
willing hunt them down?
name secret sympathizers?
identify phony repenters?
go war front , walk through enemy minefields?

not surprisingly, prisoners failed answer in affirmative questions. these taken room , ordered write last , testament , discard personal belongings such rings, watches, , spectacles. blindfolded , taken gallows hanged in batches of six. since hanging did not mean death breaking of neck drop through trap door, stringing victim neck suffocate, took fifteen minutes die.

after first few days, overworked executioners requested firing squads. these requests rejected on claim shari mandated hanging apostates , enemies of allah, though thought real reason may have been hanging quieter gunfire , better preserve secrecy of operations.

at first secrecy effective. 1 survivor admits thought being processed released in time forthcoming peace celebrations.

dealing leftists

after 27 august , commission turned attention leftist prisoners, such members of tudeh, majority fedayi, minority fedayi, other fedayi, kumaleh, rah-e kargar, peykar. these assured in no danger , asked:

muslim?
believe in allah?
holy qur word of allah?
believe in heaven , hell?
accept holy muhammad seal of prophets?
publicly recant historical materialism?
denounce former beliefs before cameras?
fast during ramadan?
pray , read holy qur an?
rather share cell muslim or non-muslim?
sign affidavit believe in allah, prophet, holy qur an, , resurrection?
when growing up, did father pray, fast, , read holy qur an?

prisoners told authorities asking them these questions because planned separate practicing muslims non-practicing ones. however, real reason determine whether prisoners qualified apostates islam, in case join moharebs in gallows.

some prisoners saved execution answering questions returned cells , passed along commission asking. leftist prisoner had @ 1 time attended seminary grasped theological significance of questions , spent night of august 30 sending morse code messages other cells knocking on prison walls. pointed out hidden dangers. questioners wanted know if prisoners fathers prayed, fasted, , read qur because sons of devout men not called apostates. if had not been raised in proper muslim homes first , exposed true islam, not apostates. wrong answer refusing reply on grounds of privacy , taken admission of apostasy .

all surprise prisoners, 1 commenting: in previous years, wanted confess spying. in 1988, wanted convert islam. meant there no correlation between length of sentence being served , likelihood of death. first leftist go before evin commission light, , completed, sentences. these had no warning of in store , many died.

dealing women

mojahedin women given equal treatment mojahedin men, hanged armed enemies of allah however, apostasy punishment women different , lighter men. since according commission s interpretation of islamic law, women not responsible actions, disobedient women – including apostates – given discretionary punishments mend ways , obey male superiors.

leftist women—even raised practicing muslims—were given opportunity recant apostasy. after investigation, leftist women given 5 lashes every 1 of 5 daily prayers missed, half punishment meted out men. after while, many agreed pray, went on hunger strike, refusing water. 1 died after 22 days , 550 lashes, , authorities certified death suicide because had made decision not pray.

families

according iranian human rights lawyer shirin ebadi, executed prisoner s families told: 1 year shall refrain holding funeral, or mourning death in public way. if after 1 year conduct deemed acceptable, reveal place of burial. justification given these families execution of loved ones prisoner s name had appeared on notes pinned pmoi members killed in mersad attack bodies had been recovered iranian islamic officials. notes listing pmoi s supporters in prison prisoners had been guilty of aiding attack. ebadi complained aside being improbable, did not explain why prisoners had not received trial charge of giving support enemy. report geoffrey robertson qc accused tehran of continuing deny relatives of victims right know loved ones buried.

estimates of fatalities

one anonymous ex-prisoner places death toll in thousands. eyewitness puts in between 5000 , 6000 – 1000 left , rest mojahedin. yet estimates in thousands , many 1500 killed @ gohar dasht prison alone. recent study using scattered information provinces places figure @ 12,000. amnesty international estimates national total more 2500 , describes vast majority of victims prisoners of conscience had not been charged actual deeds or plans of deeds against state.

it extremely difficult accurate number since many killings carried out in remote kurdish , baluchi cities. high 30,000 according figures provided iranian defectors. in aftermath of 2009 uprisings in iran, defector of iranian regime mohammad nurizad stated on 33,000 people massacred within 2–3 months in summer of 1988. estimated of executed either high school or college students or fresh graduates, , on 10% women. according christina lamb, writing in telegraph: secret documents smuggled out of iran reveal that, because of large numbers of necks broken, prisoners loaded onto forklift trucks in groups of 6 , hanged cranes in half-hourly intervals.

international reaction , criticism

on 30 august 2017, united nations human rights council highlighted 1988 massacre , distributed written statement 3 non-governmental organizations titled, “the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in iran: time truth, justice, reparation , guarantees of non-recurrence” statement points following: in 1988, government of iran massacred 30,000 political prisoners. executions took place based on fatwa supreme leader ayatollah khomeini. three-member commissions known ‘death commission’ formed across iran sending political prisoners refused abandon beliefs execution. victims buried in secret mass graves. perpetrators continue enjoy impunity.