In the mullahs’ system ruling Iran, there are three independent powers not accountable to any individual and entity, let alone reason and common sense. Although they are separate entities, these three independent powers are among the main tools of regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Recently, the judiciary published a report on Hamid Noury, one of the perpetrators in Iran’s Gohardasht prison during the 1988 massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners across the country. Noury was arrested upon arrival at an airport in Stockholm, placed on trial and sentenced to life in prison. He has filed for appeal and the court has yet to announce its final decision.
The report overlooks Noury’s background and the Swedish court’s verdict on the matter, portraying him as an “innocent citizen” sentenced to spend the rest of his natural life behind bars. The report denies the 1988 massacre even took place. The Swedish court heard testimony from over 113 witnesses, including 60 members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), who provided irrefutable evidence about Noury’s role in the massacre. One witness testified about seeing Noury beat a pregnant woman before sending her before the Death Commission. The evidence clearly showed Noury’s guilt.
The report, titled “The MEK’s role in the Hamid Noury dossier,” highlights the role of the Iranian opposition MEK as the main plaintiff in the court. The MEK’s role as the main plaintiff in this trial is indisputable, as all other witnesses confirmed that more than 90 percent of the 1988 massacre victims were affiliated with the MEK.
The political prisoners who supported the MEK refused to renounce their beliefs and were executed as a result. Noury, who worked as a guard and later as an assistant to the superintendent of Gohardasht prison (located west of the capital Tehran), was complicit in the selection of prisoners and their transfer to the notorious “Death Commission” that defined the prisoners’ fate in kangaroo trials. Noury was also involved in transferring the prisoners to hall where they were executed. He even distributed sweets among prison guards and officials as the prisoners were being hanged.
The fatwa for purging the prisons of political prisoners was issued by mullahs’ regime founder Ruhollah Khomeini in 1988. The document was registered in court as evidence pertaining to the crime being directly targeted at steadfast MEK members. Prosecutors presented a list of 444 prisoners who were executed in Gohardasht prison, where Noury served at the time.
The trial has not been limited to the role of Noury in the 1988 massacre. The prosecution team is calling for all the perpetrators and orchestrators of this crime against humanity to be summoned and tried. The prosecutor referred to a 2018 report by Amnesty International titled, “Blood-soaked secrets,” and stipulated that the so-called judges who were involved in the 1988 massacre explicitly asked prisoners to state their position on the MEK and anyone who defended support for the Iranian opposition was sent to the gallows.
The judiciary of the mullahs’ regime denies the 1988 massacre. Noury’s defense of the mullahs’ so-called courts and judiciary process, and literally praying for the executioners involved in the regime’s massacre of political prisoners, showed his complete lack of human feeling and shame. During his testimony he sought to justify his actions by claiming that the political prisoners had plotted to launch a riot with outside support. Noury showed no remorse for his crimes.
Despite Noury being present in court, the true culprits being tried are regime president Ebrahim Raisi and supreme leader Ali Khamenei. This trial serves as the initial step towards holding these ruthless criminals accountable for their actions, which have gone unpunished for over thirty years. Back in 1988, the regime’s leaders believed that slaughtering 30,000 political prisoners would bring an end to the MEK and the Iranian people’s desire for freedom and democracy. However, justice will prevail as the path towards holding these perpetrators accountable has only just begun.
The Iranian judiciary’s report on Hamid Noury is a novice and misleading attempt to deny the 1988 massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners in Iran. The victims’ families demand justice, and the mullahs’ dictatorship should be held accountable for its crimes. Justice was served by Noury’s life sentence, but more perpetrators of this crime against humanity must face consequences. The international community should support the cause of justice for victims of the 1988 massacre.
