313 UN human rights and legal experts, Nobel laureates, statesmen and NGOs urge UN human rights chief @volker_turk to establish an international accountability mechanism to end impunity for Iran's1988Massacre & related Atrocity Crimes
A coalition of over 300 United Nations experts, special rapporteurs, legal professionals, Nobel laureates, and human rights organizations, has called for the prosecution of Iranian officials responsible for decades of human rights abuses. This demand was made in an open letter originally published on the website of the Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) following the release of a comprehensive report by UN Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman, which details systematic atrocities committed by the Iranian regime, particularly the 1988 massacre of political prisoners.
The letter urges the establishment of an international accountability mechanism to end the impunity of those responsible for these crimes. Highlighting Prof. Rehman’s findings, the letter describes the extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances as “ongoing crimes against humanity” and presents substantial evidence that these acts were carried out with genocidal intent.
The letter explicitly states, “Khomeini’s 1988 fatwa is manifestly clear that he intentionally and purposefully ordered the mass executions of all steadfast PMOI members, an ordinance which was also subsequently implemented against members of other groups. The willful executioners implemented Khomeini’s fatwa in full knowledge that they were committing international crimes by systematically and deliberately murdering political prisoners all across the country in a coordinated manner.”
The JVMI organization has been instrumental in rallying international support and is advocating for the inclusion of specific references to the 1988 massacre in the annual UN General Assembly resolution on Iran. Such a step would be pivotal in confronting the culture of impunity that has shielded Iranian officials from accountability for decades.
Prominent figures who signed the letter include Judge Sang-Hyun Song, former President of the International Criminal Court; Prof. William A. Schabas, Chair of the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza Conflict; and Oleksandra Matviichuk, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Their involvement highlights the urgency of addressing the Iranian regime’s human rights violations and the need for concrete international action.
The initiative led by JVMI represents a growing international movement demanding justice for the victims of Iran’s 1988 massacre. By publishing the open letter and mobilizing a diverse group of experts and advocates, JVMI is ensuring that the world does not forget the atrocities committed and that meaningful steps are taken to hold those responsible to account.
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