Following the international recognition of the 1988 massacre of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) as an atrocity crime and genocide, and a global campaign calling for the end of impunity for the perpetrators, the Iranian regime has been showing hysterical reactions. On September 24, during its weekly so-called court session to prosecute PMOI members, the regime’s criminal judge said, “According to international treaties, countries hosting members of the PMOI must return these individuals to Iran.”
This absurd claim occurred as nine NGOs with consultative status at the United Nations issued a joint statement during the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council, calling for an end to impunity for the Iranian regime’s human rights violations. The statement has been officially published by the UNHRC secretariat and received by the UN Secretary-General.
The joint statement emphasized the need to end the impunity of the regime’s leaders, warning that the widespread and severe violations of human rights in Iran, including the deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters and the suppression of families seeking justice for the victims of the extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances of political prisoners in 1988, have amounted to ongoing crimes against humanity. The statement underlines that two separate UN reports in 2024 reached this conclusion and warns that with the increasing number of executions, it is crucial that the UN establish an accountability mechanism to address the culture of impunity that has prevailed in Iran’s regime for the past 45 years.
The statement, while referencing the report by Professor Javaid Rehman, UN Special Rapporteur’s report, adds that in his recommendations, Professor Rehman stated that a mechanism for investigation and accountability must be established to conduct impartial and transparent investigations under international law and to preserve evidence for further criminal prosecutions of those responsible for “atrocity crimes.”
Previously, the Judicial Commission of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), while appreciating the efforts of judges and lawyers who stood against the regime’s hostage-taking, blackmail, and political pressures, emphasized the need and urgency to prosecute regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials responsible for the 1988 massacre, genocide, and four decades of crimes against humanity in international courts. It also highlighted that impunity for those responsible for the largest massacre of political prisoners since World War II encourages the continuation of the regime’s crimes, not only in Iran but also across the region and the world.
In a conference held on August 27 with the participation of human rights experts and internationally recognized figures, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi said: “It is time to end the silence and inaction regarding the catastrophic human rights violations in Iran. It is incumbent upon governments and the United Nations to continue criminal investigations, prioritize issuing warrants, and pursue the regime’s leaders for committing atrocity crimes. Establishing mechanisms for accountability and the impunity of the regime leaders is essential. In the face of a regime of executions and massacres, I again call on everyone to expand the campaign against executions.”