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Iran Regime Destroy Mass Graves as Part of Cover-Up

Iran Regime Destroy Mass Graves as Part of Cover-Up

By Staff Writer

The Iranian Regime has already begun destroying the mass graves of political prisoners secretly executed by the mullahs’ security forces in the 1980s, despite a plea from Amnesty International to halt the desecration and allow an investigation to take place.

On July 20, some of the relatives of those killed during the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, mainly members of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK), visited one of the secret gravesites, located behind Behesht-Abad Cemetery in District 5 of the Padadshahr Padad area in the city of Ahvaz, only to find that the graves of their loved ones had been destroyed. The Ahvaz site served as the burial site for those killed during the 1988 massacre and for dissidents killed by the Regime between 1981 and 1984.

This destruction is not disrespectful to the dead, it also prevents a real investigation into the massacre from ever taking place by destroying evidence, which is precisely what the mullahs want.

Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research and Advocacy Director, said: “The atrocities of the 1988 massacre in Iran is a wound that still remains open three decades later. By destroying this vital forensic evidence, the Iranian authorities are deliberately reinforcing an environment of impunity. The memory of those killed cannot simply be erased or buried beneath concrete.”

In 2017, the Iranian Regime attempted to destroy the mass graves, but after their plans were revealed by the relatives and the Iranian opposition, international outcry forced the Regime to stop. Now, they are moving at considerable speed to destroy the graves.

The Massacre

In 1988, Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the execution of all MEK members held in Iranian jails as political prisoners, unless they were willing to renounce their political affiliation, help to kill other MEK members, and used themselves as landmine fodder.

The massacre victims were buried in mass graves ad their fates largely obfuscated by the Regime. No one has ever been brought to justice for this crime and many still hold top jobs in the Regime.

This non-profit Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) has been keeping a record of all 59 mass graves that are related to the massacre, which is widely cited as the worst crime against humanity since the end of World War Two. They’ve completed two extensive reports into the massacre and have called for an international investigation to bring those responsible to justice before the International Criminal Court.