Recognise 1988 Massacre of Political Prisoners in Iran as Crime Against Humanity

Dear Prime Minister Harper:

In the summer of 1988, the Iranian government executed thousands of political activists throughout that country. Many of these individuals had been held in prison for years for their involvement in non-violent political activity and had been subjected to solitary confinement, gruesome torture and rape.

Instead of having access to a fair trial, the political prisoners were brought before a tribunal – commonly called a “Death Commission” by those who survived – comprised of a panel representing Iran’s ministry of intelligence, the judiciary, and the prosecutor’s office. The Death Commissions were like “kangaroo courts”, where prisoners were simply asked about their political affiliations and whether they considered themselves Muslims. Most hearings only lasted for a few minutes. Prisoners who provided answers unsatisfactory to the panel were issued a death sentence, carried out immediately. Mistaken executions were common.

Political prisoners from all political groups were executed. The victims included youth, women, and senior citizens. Even the survivors continue to be haunted by the experience of incarceration, solitary confinement, torture, and rape they were subjected to during that time. The families of victims and survivors, too, continue to feel the impact of the atrocity.

The 1988 massacre is similar in scope to the massacre at Srebrenica in Bosnia, or Saddam’s attack on Halabja. Perpetrators of those killings have been convicted in domestic and international courts, while the perpetrators of the 1988 massacre have yet to be held accountable for those murders.

By all independent legal assessments, the 1988 massacre meets the definition of crimes against humanity under international law.