{"id":310383,"date":"2023-08-03T21:18:55","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T20:18:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=310383"},"modified":"2023-08-03T21:18:55","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T20:18:55","slug":"why-irans-1988-massacre-is-a-genocide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/iran-1988-massacre-of-political-prisoners\/why-irans-1988-massacre-is-a-genocide\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Iran\u2019s 1988 Massacre Is A Genocide"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"iran-photos-massacre1988-victims-min\"
Photos of some of victims of 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran. Some 30,000 mostly members of MEK were executed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The term “crimes against humanity” encompasses violent actions that trample upon human dignity, including state-sponsored suppression aimed at eliminating dissenters and large-scale operations intended to destroy specific groups.<\/p>\n

The 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran was a thoroughly planned and widespread attack, resulting in the loss of 30,000 lives. This atrocity had been prepared months in advance and executed under the orders of then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini and the highest authorities of the regime. It clearly demonstrated a systematic and organized pattern.<\/p>\n

The victims of this massacre were individuals who had not participated in armed conflicts. According to statements from religious jurists and the judiciary of this regime, those arrested during armed confrontations were supposed to be executed on-site, and therefore, none of them shall be subjected to imprisonment or sham trials.<\/p>\n

Hence, there is no room for doubt that the 1988 massacre falls squarely under the definition of “crimes against humanity,” based on the aforementioned procedures and conditions.<\/p>\n

Genocide<\/h3>\n

The term “genocide” was first proposed by Raphael Lemkin. Influenced by the Holocaust and driven by the determination of this Polish lawyer, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide<\/a> on December 9, 1948.<\/p>\n

Genocide is any act committed with the intent to destroy and physically eliminate a part or the whole of a racial, ethnic, national, religious, or ideological group. It is punishable whether committed during peace or war.<\/p>\n

This crime includes the following acts:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Killing members of the group.<\/li>\n
  2. Causing serious physical or mental harm to members of the group.<\/li>\n
  3. Deliberately imposing living conditions that will lead to the physical destruction of part or all of the group.<\/li>\n
  4. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In Article 4<\/a> of this Convention, it is stated:<\/p>\n

    ” Persons committing genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in article III shall be <\/em>punished, whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private <\/em>individuals.”<\/em><\/p>\n

    It is important to note that the crime of genocide cannot be erased by the passage of time, and its prosecution and punishment remain unalterable.<\/p>\n

    The 1988 massacre clearly meets the criteria for crimes against humanity, leaving no room to hide the act of “killing members of the group.” It undeniably represents an unacknowledged genocide and a grave crime against humanity involving “severe bodily or mental harm to members of the group.”<\/p>\n

    \n

    We urge the international community to recognize the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988 as genocide and a crime against humanity. #ProsecuteRaisiNow<\/a> #1988Massacre<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/TK7hSSXsfs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/m4icp6zfe8<\/a><\/p>\n

    — Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 23, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n