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UN Must Act Against Iran Regime for Its Role in 1988 Massacre

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NCRI Staff

NCRI – The UN should be helping to end impunity for human rights abuses in Iran and around the world and they can begin by trying the mullahs who took part in the 1988 Massacre in the International Criminal Court.

Many of those involved in the massacre, which killed 30,000 political prisoners (mainly members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran or PMOI/MEK), are still alive and still hold positions of power within the Iranian Regime.

They have never seen justice for their crimes.

On February 1, a civil society hearing in Geneva presented a mock indictment about the massacre, featuring eyewitness testimony from Iranian political prisoners and their families, as well as expert opinion from human rights experts and former United Nations staff.

Although not legally binding, many human rights advocates hope that this will result in the UN taking long overdue action against these mass-murderers. UN action would hold the world’s worst human rights abusers- the Iranian Regime- to account for their crimes and bring closure for the families of the victims, some of whom still don’t know where their loved one is buried.

Juan E. Garcés, the Spanish lawyer who brought a case against Chilean General Augusto Pinochet for his war crimes under the principles of universal jurisdiction, wrote: “It is my hope that newfound attention for the 1988 massacre and the subsequent crimes of Iran’s political/religious system will help to reiterate the message that was previously sent by my colleagues and me through our prosecution of the Pinochet crimes. The essence of that message is that, while some officers may enjoy impunity as they commit human rights violations and misuse the instruments of the state, this impunity need not continue forever, much less be accepted by human rights advocates and foreign observers who have the legal mandate to investigate such crimes.”

Throughout the world, many leaders have failed to act against human rights abusers, which has led to continued and worsening human rights abuses.

This is a very real concern for the people of Iran, whose nationwide anti-regime protests became headline news around the world. The Regime, in an attempt to stop the protests, has imprisoned over 8,000 people and threatened them with the death penalty.

Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, visited the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to encourage the EU to step in and help the detained protesters.

She said:“Mass arrests, opening fire on unarmed protesters, and torturing prisoners to death are clear examples of crime against humanity. Unfortunately, Europe has chosen silence and inaction about all of these crimes, something that contradicts many of Europe’s fundamental and joint commitments including the European Convention on Human Rights.”

The protests in Iran are far from over and if the international community fails to act, then the Iranian Regime will only commit more human rights abuses. At least 50 were shot dead in the streets by agents of the Regime and 12 have died under torture in prison. How many more will die?