1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners
Ebrahim Raisi (right) and Mostafa Pourmohammadi (left), two members of "Judges of Death" committee, in 2013 | |
| Date | July–December 1988 (some sources say July–September) |
|---|---|
| Location | Iran |
| Type | Mass execution |
| Target | Iranian left-wing political opposition groups, most notably the MEK, OIPFM and the Tudeh Party of Iran |
| Deaths | 2,800 to 30,000 people killed (exact number unknown) |
| Accused | Hossein-Ali Nayyeri (who was then a judge), Morteza Eshraqi (then Tehran Prosecutor), Ebrahim Raisi (then deputy prosecutor general) and Mostafa Pourmohammadi (then the representative of the Intelligence Ministry in Evin Prison), Hamid Nouri (then the assistant to the deputy prosecutor) |
| Convicted | Trial of Hamid Nouri |
In mid-1988, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, ordered the execution of thousands of political prisoners. These executions happened throughout Iran and lasted about five months, beginning in July.: 8, 13 They took place in at least 32 cities across the country, and were carried out without any legal authority. Trials were not concerned with establishing guilt or innocence. Many prisoners were also tortured.: 34 Great care was taken to conceal the executions.
The exact number killed is unknown, but estimates by some human rights organizations say that up to 5,000 people were killed. Others, such as Human Rights Watch (HRW), put the estimate between 2,800 and 30,000. Amnesty International and United Nations Human Rights Council estimate that at least 30,000 killed.
Reportedly, most of those killed were supporters of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MeK). Members of other leftist factions, such as the Fedaian and the Tudeh Party of Iran (Communist Party), were also killed.: 209–228 Various motives have been offered for the executions. One possible motive was that the killings were revenge for the MeK's Operation Mersad, which took place in 1988 on Iran's western borders. However, people from other leftist groups, who had nothing to do with the MeK's attack, were also killed.: 218 According to Iran's then-Deputy Supreme Leader Ayatollah Montazeri, officials had been planning the executions for years, using the MeK operation as an excuse to carry them out.: 81–83
Survivors of the executions have repeatedly called for the killers to face prosecution. Some have described them as "Iran's greatest crime against humanity". They were condemned by Montazeri, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and several countries.