Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, August 24, 2021—Iranian expats held a large protest rally on Monday in Stockholm, Sweden, where an Iranian regime official is being tried for human rights violations, including involvement in the execution of more than 30,000 Iranian political prisoners in 1988.
Hundreds of the family members of the Iranian regime’s victims participated in this rally, calling for justice for their loved ones.
In a message to the demonstration, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of NCRI, said, “The world hears the calls for justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre in your demonstration. For 30,000 resistant and steadfast heroes, more than 90% of whom were members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK)… Your rally outside the Court of Stockholm is the Iranian people’s remarkable victory over the clerical regime that wanted to use this court as a tool to condemn the Call-for-Justice Movement.”
The 1988 massacre of political prisoners took place in the span of a few months under the direct orders of then-supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini. Many human rights experts and bodies have described it as a crime against humanity and have called for an independent probe into the role of regime officials in the mass killing of dissidents.
Mrs. Rajavi stressed the need for the international community, particularly European governments, to “revise their policy of turning a blind eye on the largest massacre of political prisoners since World War II.”
“As it was recently stated in the letter by a group of members of the European Parliament to the E.U. foreign policy chief, appeasing and placating the Iranian regime ‘contradicts European commitments to uphold and stand up for human rights.’ Europe and the world, in general, must take steps to fulfill the Iranian people’s desire for international prosecution of [regime supreme leader] Ali Khamenei and [regime president] Ebrahim Raisi for genocide and crimes against humanity,” Mrs. Rajavi said.
The world hears the calls for justice for the #1988Massacre in your demonstration. The protesters of the nationwide uprising in July, particularly our Arab compatriots in #Khuzestan, can hear themselves in your rally that one cannot and must not put up with the mullahs’ rule. pic.twitter.com/vEMQrls0bL
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 23, 2021
Also speaking at the event, former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt said, “Sweden has embodied the good soul of humanity and represents the good of us.”
While referring to Ruhollah Khomeini’s fatwa in 1988, Ms. Betancourt said: “This massacre started with a fatwa that condemned victims because they did not adhere to the regime’s political insanity. They were buried in mass graves. The death commission across Iran did this massacre.”
Following Khomeini’s fatwa, the death commissions were formed across Iran, deciding the fate of the political prisoners in few moments. Ebrahim Raisi, who served in various positions in the judiciary before becoming the regime’s new president, was one of the members of Tehran’s “Death Commissions,” a group of judges that summoned prisoners to minutes-long trials and immediately sent them to their deaths of they did not disown their support for the MEK.
While reminding this fact, Ms. Betancourt underlined that “the absence of the international community’s action has emboldened the regime to put forward a face of genocide as the country’s president.”
Ingrid Betancourt Former Colombian Presidential Candidate
We must urge the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, my friend Michelle Bachelet, to set up an inquiry into the 1988 massacre.#ProsecuteRaisiNOWhttps://t.co/WCNYyfIhKy
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 23, 2021
Also speaking at the event, Patrick Kennedy, a former member of the United States House of Representatives, said, “We all know, those who fail to remember history are condemned to repeat. We must establish a permanent war crime tribunal to prosecute these crimes. If we fail to prosecute crimes and acknowledge them, we put our sons and daughters at risk. We remember the 1988 massacre because those who did it, like the [regime’s] new president Ebrahim Raisi should be held accountable for committing those atrocities. We must initiate international investigations and prosecute these criminals.”
.@PJK4brainhealth
We remember the #1988Massacre because those who did it, like Ebrahim Raisiو should be held accountable for committing those atrocities. We must initiate int’l investigations and prosecute these criminals.#Iran #ProsecuteRaisiNOW https://t.co/DiHML9CNRm— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 23, 2021
Kimmo Sasi, Finland’s former Minister of Foreign Trade, described the 1988 massacre as “one of the darkest moments in Iran’s history.”
Mr. Sasi underlined that Nouri’s trial in Sweden is “the first step of a process in Europe. It means all those involved in the 1988 massacre should be held accountable, and I hope Raisi will be brought to court. I call on the E.U. to take a new attitude toward Iran, put sanctions, bring those accused of human rights to courts of justice.”
.@KimmoSasi
The #1988Massacre was one of the darkest moments in #Iran’s history. 30,000 political prisoners were murdered. That is a crime against humanity. Our responsibility is to investigate this crime.#ProsecuteRaisiNOWhttps://t.co/1341VhGZgK— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 23, 2021
