The audio clip of a private meeting between the late Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, Khomeini’s closest aide and designated heir at the time, with various regime officials back in 1988 confirmed the previous revelations made by the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MeK) regarding the genocide and massacre of political prisoners carried out by Tehran back in the summer of that year.
This was a horrendous act of human rights violations and should lead to the opening of a dossier covering a grave crime against the Iranian people, and all of humanity.
More than 30,000 political prisoners, mainly PMOI/MeK members and supporters, were viciously killed and buried in mass graves, all in the span of a few months and under orders issued by Khomeini himself. However, why is the silence finally broken now after 28 years under such conditions? Without a doubt placing forward such evidence in any international court will find all senior current Iranian regime officials guilty.
This audio clip has been made public exactly one month after the massive Iranian opposition gathering in Paris, and shortly after a historic meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi.
In all these events, in addition to the joint message voiced by European, American and especially Middle Eastern countries highlighting the necessity of overthrowing the regime in Iran, there is an emphasis on yet another united demand: Prosecuting Iranian regime officials for crimes against humanity, especially the summer 1988 massacre. The audio clip of Montazeri’s remarks unveils how many of the regime’s current officials, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei, former President Ali Akbar Rafsanjani and many current ministers in President Hassan Rouhani’s Cabinet, were deeply involved in this dreadful crime.
All the regime’s inner factions have suffered serious damages following the release of this audio clip, as it sheds light on how members of the Khamenei and Rouhani/Rafsanjani factions were all involved in this opprobrium.
In the audio clip Montazeri is heard speaking with four different individuals: Mostafa Pour Mohammadi, then representative of the Ministry of Intelligence; Hossein-Ali Nayeri, a so-called Shariah judge; Morteza Eshraghi, the regime’s then chief public prosecutor; and Ibrahim Reisi, Eshraghi’s deputy. These individuals were appointed by Khomeini as the administrative committee — later dubbed the “Death Committee” —in charge of implementing his dreadful fatwa to execute all political prisoners in Tehran. Pour Mohammadi, Nayeri and Reisi have during all the years of this regime’s existence held senior political, security and judiciary posts, and were directly involved in most of the regime’s crimes.
Reisi was involved as a public prosecutor and judge in the regime’s killings from day one. A few months ago, Khamenei appointed him as a senior official in the Astan Quds Razavi, a very important political/economic entity in the regime’s establishment.
Pour Mohammadi was interior minister of firebrand President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Cabinet. He is currently serving as Rouhani’s justice minister.
Nayeri has throughout the years held senior positions in the regime’s judiciary and is currently head of the Supreme Security Court of Judges.
The audio clip reveals Montazeri’s conversations with the “Death Committee” members: “They resorted to all kinds of atrocities in city prisons… it was horrendous in Ahvaz (southwest Iran)… 50 years later they will portray (Khomeini) as bloodthirsty, murderous and vicious… keep in my mind we will not always be in power.”
In yet another shocking example, Montazeri said, “In Isfahan a pregnant woman was among those massacred… in Shiite Islam a woman must not be executed, even if she is a mohareb (enemy of God). I told this to Khomeini, and he said no, women must also be executed.”
Neither can regime officials distance themselves from this act of barbarity, nor can they accept responsibility in this regard. Legally, and from a perspective of international law the published tape is a strong case revealing how the 1988 massacre was a completely pre-planned initiative with a crystal clear objective of annihilating the Iranian democratic opposition PMOI/MeK with all its members and supporters.
By all definitions, this is considered a crime against humanity and a case of genocide. Neither a crime against humanity, nor genocide, will ever be forgotten with the passage of time. It is the duty of the international community, including the United Nations Human Rights Council and Security Council, to place this case before the law and have its perpetrators face justice.
This was a horrendous act of human rights violations and should lead to the opening of a dossier covering a grave crime against the Iranian people, and all of humanity.
More than 30,000 political prisoners, mainly PMOI/MeK members and supporters, were viciously killed and buried in mass graves, all in the span of a few months and under orders issued by Khomeini himself. However, why is the silence finally broken now after 28 years under such conditions? Without a doubt placing forward such evidence in any international court will find all senior current Iranian regime officials guilty.
This audio clip has been made public exactly one month after the massive Iranian opposition gathering in Paris, and shortly after a historic meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi.
In all these events, in addition to the joint message voiced by European, American and especially Middle Eastern countries highlighting the necessity of overthrowing the regime in Iran, there is an emphasis on yet another united demand: Prosecuting Iranian regime officials for crimes against humanity, especially the summer 1988 massacre. The audio clip of Montazeri’s remarks unveils how many of the regime’s current officials, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei, former President Ali Akbar Rafsanjani and many current ministers in President Hassan Rouhani’s Cabinet, were deeply involved in this dreadful crime.
All the regime’s inner factions have suffered serious damages following the release of this audio clip, as it sheds light on how members of the Khamenei and Rouhani/Rafsanjani factions were all involved in this opprobrium.
In the audio clip Montazeri is heard speaking with four different individuals: Mostafa Pour Mohammadi, then representative of the Ministry of Intelligence; Hossein-Ali Nayeri, a so-called Shariah judge; Morteza Eshraghi, the regime’s then chief public prosecutor; and Ibrahim Reisi, Eshraghi’s deputy. These individuals were appointed by Khomeini as the administrative committee — later dubbed the “Death Committee” —in charge of implementing his dreadful fatwa to execute all political prisoners in Tehran. Pour Mohammadi, Nayeri and Reisi have during all the years of this regime’s existence held senior political, security and judiciary posts, and were directly involved in most of the regime’s crimes.
Reisi was involved as a public prosecutor and judge in the regime’s killings from day one. A few months ago, Khamenei appointed him as a senior official in the Astan Quds Razavi, a very important political/economic entity in the regime’s establishment.
Pour Mohammadi was interior minister of firebrand President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Cabinet. He is currently serving as Rouhani’s justice minister.
Nayeri has throughout the years held senior positions in the regime’s judiciary and is currently head of the Supreme Security Court of Judges.
The audio clip reveals Montazeri’s conversations with the “Death Committee” members: “They resorted to all kinds of atrocities in city prisons… it was horrendous in Ahvaz (southwest Iran)… 50 years later they will portray (Khomeini) as bloodthirsty, murderous and vicious… keep in my mind we will not always be in power.”
In yet another shocking example, Montazeri said, “In Isfahan a pregnant woman was among those massacred… in Shiite Islam a woman must not be executed, even if she is a mohareb (enemy of God). I told this to Khomeini, and he said no, women must also be executed.”
Neither can regime officials distance themselves from this act of barbarity, nor can they accept responsibility in this regard. Legally, and from a perspective of international law the published tape is a strong case revealing how the 1988 massacre was a completely pre-planned initiative with a crystal clear objective of annihilating the Iranian democratic opposition PMOI/MeK with all its members and supporters.
By all definitions, this is considered a crime against humanity and a case of genocide. Neither a crime against humanity, nor genocide, will ever be forgotten with the passage of time. It is the duty of the international community, including the United Nations Human Rights Council and Security Council, to place this case before the law and have its perpetrators face justice.
