Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
A/HRC/37/68 para 85
Full Recommendation:
The Special Rapporteur reiterates her call upon the Government to undertake thorough and
independent investigation into the 1988 massacres, and further ensure that locations believed to
be the site of mass graves are persevered and protected to this end.
Assessment using Impact Iran human rights indicators1
The massacre of political dissidents in 1988 - in which thousands of prisoners, many of whom
were serving prison sentences and had never charged with a capital crime, were arbitrarily
executed2 - has not been officially acknowledged by the Iranian authorities, although from time
to time former and current officials justify or express approval of the state’s conduct in the
incident.3 The massacre has never been investigated by any institution in Iran, nor has any state
authority made available information pertaining to it.. Officials involved in the 1988 killings
have enjoyed total impunity and ascended to the highest levels of state power: Ebrahim Raisi, for
instance, a member of a 1988 “death panel,” has served as the head of Iran’s judiciary since
March 2019. Amnesty International has termed this chronic, systematic denial of the right to
truth for families and loved ones of victims of the massacre an “ongoing crime against
humanity.”4 Human rights organizations have been demanding reparations for the 1988
massacres, yet none have been issued.5
Human rights groups have documented the destruction of graves of 1988 massacre victims by the
government of Iran, including by way of concealing mass graves beneath new burial plots;
constructing concrete slabs, buildings or roads over grave sites; and converting such sites into
waste dumps.6
1
CCPR.7.1.S.1; CCPR.14.1.S.2; CCPR.9.3.S.2; CCPR.9.1.S.3; CCPR.9.1.S.1;CCPR.9.1.S.2; CCPR.9.2.S.1;
CCPR.7.1.P.2:CCPR.14.1.P.3CCPR.9.5.P.2;CCPR.9.1.P.1;CCPR.9.1.P.2;CCPR.9.1.P.5;CCPR.9.1.P.6;CCPR.9.2.P.1;CCPR.9.3.
P.1;CCPR.7.1.O.2;
CCPR.7.1.O.3;CCPR.14.1.O.5;
CCPR.14.1.O.6;CCPR.14.1.O.8;
CCPR.9.2.O.4;
CCPR.9.1.O.1;
CCPR.9.2.O.1; CCPR.9.2.O.4; CCPR.9.1.O.1.
2
See Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, 2011, “The Massacre of Political Prisoners in Iran, 1988, Report Of An Inquiry,”
https://www.iranrights.org/library/document/1380/the-massacre-of-political-prisoners-in-iran-1988-report-of-an-inquiry;
Amnesty International,
3
Mostafa Pormohammadi, who previously served as Iran’s Minister of the Interior and Minister of Justice, defended his own role
in the 1988 killings in a fall 2019 interview, stating that “Whoever is in line with the enemy, is an enemy… We had to deal with
each and every one of the [members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization]“ . Radio Zamaneh, September 25, 2019,
https://www.radiofarda.com/a/mostafa_pourmohammadi_news_statement_execution_67/30075445.html
4
Amnesty International, 2018, “BLOOD-SOAKED SECRETS: WHY IRAN'S 1988 PRISON MASSACRES ARE ONGOING
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY”, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde13/9421/2018/en/
5
Human Rights Activists in Iran, March 8, 2017,http://www.hra-iran.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Joint-Statement8March2017.pdf
6
Amnesty International, April 30, 2018, “CRIMINAL COVER-UP: IRAN DESTROYING MASS GRAVES OF VICTIMS OF
1988 KILLINGS” , https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde13/8259/2018/en/
1