NCRI – On Monday August 29, Dr. Mohammad Maleki, the first President of Tehran University after the anti-monarchic revolution in Iran, in an interview that published on the Internet commented on the 1988 massacre of political prisoners and support of the massacre by the Iranian regime’s Assembly of Experts and Mullah Pour-Mohammadi, current Justice Minister in Rouhani’s government. Dr. Maleki said: “The government cannot maintain its power with crime, massacre and murder.”
When asked why the regime officials, who first denied this massacre, are now supporting it, he said: “The fact is that you can hide the truth from public eyes for a while, but not forever.”
“Many things had happened to us in prison before we got out in 1980s. When we told people, they did not believe, until a few years ago, no one believed. They thought it was hypocrisy and the same previous words (of Khomeini who used to say), ‘they themselves kill themselves, and put the blame on us.’ So, that is what it was until Mr. Montazeri’s audio file (on the 1988 massacre) was released. And they (the regime’s officials) had to acknowledge it because they had no choice.”
“Now that they accepted it, the next step is to justify and go along with it. So, they started attacking the Mujahedeen (PMOI/MEK) again. They said: These people have committed murder and crimes, and so on….”
“However, now, little by little, the number and statistics of this massacre is being specified. People are now regularly sending videos from various cities that here is the burial place of the martyrs of 1988 massacre.”
“Contrary to what they said, that the massacre was only in Tehran and they were not more than 4 to 5 thousands, this is not the case. The problem was all over Iran and even in the villages. The Assembly of Experts admitted that ‘We could not maintain our rule (regime) if we hadn’t done it.’ Well, let go the regime. Do you do all sort of crimes in the world in order to maintain the regime? The government cannot maintain its power with crime, massacre and murder.”
In response to a question about Pour-Mohammadi’s comment who said he has done God’s Commandment, Dr. Maleki said: “I do not know what the level of Pour-Mohammadi in religious matters is, but that God’s Commandment that even Mr. Montazeri did not understand, how he who is not more than an illiterate seminary student has understood and has done God’s Commandment… Where did he get this God’s Commandment from? His obscenity is when he says ‘We did it, we do it again now, and we are proud of it….’ He now as Justice Minister in Rouhani’s government lashes, kills, hangs, and their news are regularly published.”
In response to the question of what is your analysis of these executions, Dr. Maleki said: “These dictatorships and authoritarian regimes can only rule by creating fear and atmosphere of terror among the people. They have executed 80 to 90 to 100 people in the past two weeks. They think that they can govern with these killings and spreading terror and prevent the people (uprising) and intimidate and frighten them so that they do not attempt to protest, while history has shown that these things hardly result in anything in favor of dictators and the fate of tyrants is clear. The fate of a regime that wants to rule by force, killing and bloodshed and live on blood and bayonet is clear.”
When asked what the prospect is, the first President of Tehran University after the anti-monarchic revolution said: “Unlike the past that they could silence the issue, but this time the issue is global. Now there are protests all over the world for justice, and I think that this issue will be dragged… and the depth and magnitude of the disaster becomes more and more clear… and the people who are fairly awakened and will be more awakened will decide the fate of the regime of Velayat-e Faqih (Supreme Leader).”
Background:
In the summer of 1988, the Iranian regime summarily and extra-judicially executed tens of thousands of political prisoners held in jails across Iran. The massacre was carried out on the basis of a fatwa by the regime’s then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini.
The facts:
• More than 30,000 political prisoners were massacred in Iran in the summer of 1988.
• The massacre was carried out on the basis of a fatwa by Khomeini.
• The vast majority of the victims were activists of the opposition PMOI (MEK).
• A Death Committee approved all the death sentences.
• Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, a member of the Death Committee, is today Hassan Rouhani’s Justice Minister.
• The perpetrators of the 1988 massacre have never been brought to justice.
• On August 9, 2016, an audio tape was published for the first time of Khomeini’s former heir acknowledging that that massacre took place and had been ordered at the highest levels.
