Representatives of international NGOs at the 42nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva spoke out against human rights abuses by Iran's government and urged the UN to investigate the 1988 massacre of political prisoners.

Iran's 1988 massacre constituted a crime against humanity in which some 30,000 political prisoners, mostly affiliated with the main opposition People's Mojahedin (PMOI or MEK), were executed. The issue was brought up at a 'clustered interactive dialogue' at the Human Rights Council in September 2019.

An NGO representative addressed Bernard Duhaime, Chair of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, and Fabian Salvioli, UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of non-recurrence.

Milica Javdan of the Women's Human Rights International Association told the UN Human Rights Council on 11 September 2019:

"Ms. Vice President,

In the summer of 1988, 30,000 political prisoners were massacred by the Islamic republic of Iran. The mass atrocity was based on a fatwa by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. His decree called for the execution of all political prisoners affiliated to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, who remained steadfast in their resistance to the Iranian regime. The victims were buried secretly in mass graves. For 31 long years the Iranian government has tried to conceal the truth about the mass executions from the International Community.

Mr. Special rapporteur Salvioli, till this day the grieving families of the victims have not received any information about the fate of their loved ones. There is no paper trail on the prisoners’ whereabouts, no trial documents and no graves to visit. The victim’s families look to you for answers.

In August 2017, your colleague the late Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Asma Jahangir, informed the General Assembly about the 1988 massacre and requested an investigation to discover the truth about the bloody summer of 1988.

Mr. Salvioli, what measures has your office taken in order to investigate this matter and to seek answers from the Iranian government about the true fate of the victims of the 1988 massacre? Many of the perpetrators of this heinous crime still hold senior positions in the Iranian judiciary and government. Such as Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi and Justice Minister Alireza Avaei. On 25th of July 2019, in an official interview, Mostafa PourMohammadi defended the 1988 massacre and said newly caught Mojahedin activists would face the capital punishment. Impunity breeds reoccurrence!

We appeal to you Mr. Salvioli, to investigate the 1988 massacre as part of your mandate.

Thank you."

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