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Crimes Against Humanity.. in Iran Under Dictatorial Rule!
The crimes committed by the ruling Velayat-e Faqih regime in Iran in 1988 are countless. With each passing day, new dimensions of this crime come to light. There is no doubt that all details of this atrocity will only be fully accessible to the Iranian people and the world after the fall of this dictatorship.
What happened in Summer 1988?
Although many articles and materials have been written about this subject, each highlighting a different aspect of this horrific crime, it was in the summer of 1988, just a few weeks after the Velayat-e Faqih regime accepted UN Security Council Resolution 598 and after the Iran-Iraq war ended, that a catastrophe occurred behind closed prison doors in Iran’s religious regime. To this day, it remains one of the largest crimes against humanity and genocide in modern Iranian history. Over 30,000 political prisoners were executed, more than 90% of whom were members and supporters of the Iranian People's Mojahedin Organization (MEK). The remaining were from groups and factions influenced ideologically and politically by this organization. The common denominator among all these martyrs was their explicit and public opposition to the Velayat-e Faqih regime, and some may have been executed (!) to cover up the regime’s brutal repression of the Iranian people.
In this horrific crime, tens of thousands of political prisoners were executed—some still serving their sentences, others having completed them—simply because they held different political beliefs. They were sentenced to death in courts lasting only minutes. These courts, later known as the "Death Commission," were composed of individuals like Hussein Ali Neri (Shari'a judge), Mostafa Boroumandi (representative of the Ministry of Intelligence), Ebrahim Raisi (then public prosecutor of Tehran), and Eshraqi. Many of these individuals have held or still hold high positions in the government, revealing the tragic reality of how this crime was ongoing and sanctioned by the ruling regime in Iran.
Khomeini’s Fatwa to Exterminate Political Prisoners
This unprecedented crime began with a clear fatwa from Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic regime—the ruling mullahs—who issued an official order to execute all who maintained their "stances" without mercy. This fatwa was not based on judicial procedures but aimed, based on political and ideological beliefs, at exterminating supporters of freedom, especially members and supporters of MEK.
Among the judicial and security officials involved in this crime are names such as Mousavi Ardebili (then head of the Supreme Court), Ahmad Khomeini (Khomeini’s son and intermediary between him and security agencies), Hamid Nouri (former deputy prosecutor of Evin Prison, convicted in Sweden for directly participating in the genocide), along with others like Razini, Maqiseh, and more. These individuals not only participated in executing this heinous act but also defended it for years, considering it "necessary" and "legitimate."
Leaked Recordings of Montazeri
Amidst these events, Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, who was then Khomeini’s deputy, emerged as one of the few religious figures opposing this catastrophe. He recorded his objections in a "secret meeting with the Death Commission." In recent years, Montazeri’s family has released audio recordings of these meetings. The recently uncovered second historic tape clearly exposes the extent of this slaughter and Montazeri’s warnings.
In one of the released recordings, Montazeri addresses the members of the Death Commission: “The greatest crime committed by the Islamic Republic since the revolution began has been carried out by you, and history will judge us accordingly.” He explicitly states that this genocide does not serve the regime but damages its legitimacy irreparably.
With the release of the new audio tape of Montazeri’s second meeting with the "Death Commission" regarding the extermination of political prisoners in 1988 (BBC - Monday evening, April 14, 2025), additional shocking facts about this major crime are emerging. In this recording, parts of which have been censored, Montazeri confirms the responsibility of Ahmad Khomeini and the Ministry of Intelligence in the extermination, reminding Ahmad Khomeini: “You told me yourself that even the 10,000 pamphleteers should all be executed.”
Another fact Montazeri emphasizes is the widespread hatred of the people towards the Velayat-e Faqih regime: "The Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist has become disgusting to the people; they are fed up with it... even families we have killed now say that the MEK was right." Referring to the women from MEK captured during the "Frooq Javdan–Diyaa Al-Khalid" operation in Kermanshah Province, Montazeri says:“
By Abdolrahman Kourki (Mahabadi)
