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Over 300 Global Experts Demand Urgent UN Action to Halt Executions in Iran

LONDON, 18 May 2026 — More than 300 prominent international legal experts, human rights defenders, and Nobel laureates have issued a joint open letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, raising alarm over a sharp escalation in executions in Iran and warning of an emerging pattern of atrocity crimes. The signatories—including former UN officials, international […]

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Left: Hamed Validi. Right: Nima Shahi.

Iran executes political prisoners Hamed Validi and Nima Shahi

London, 20 April 2026: Iranian political prisoners Hamed Validi and Nima Shahi (Mohammad Masoum Shahi) were executed at dawn on Monday in Karaj Central Prison for membership in the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI or MEK). Validi, 45, a civil engineer, and Shahi, 38, a technician, were abruptly transferred from their ward Sunday

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Iran executes two more political prisoners for links to opposition group

London, 31 March 2026: Iranian authorities executed two more political prisoners on Tuesday for membership in the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI or MEK) and for “attempting to overthrow the Islamic Republic”, one day after hanging two others from the same group. Babak Alipour, 34, and Pouya Ghobadi, 32, were hanged this morning,

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Iran executes two political prisoners for links to opposition group

London, 30 March 2026: Iranian authorities executed two political prisoners on Monday for membership in the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI or MEK) and for “attempting to overthrow the Islamic Republic”, the judiciary announced. “After confirmation and final approval of the sentence by the Supreme Court, Akbar Daneshvarkar and Mohammad Taghavi-Sangdehi were hanged

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“Woman, Resistance, Freedom” – Appeal by 400 Prominent Women to Stop Execution of Zahra Tabari in Iran

23 December 2025, London: More than 400 prominent women worldwide — including Nobel laureates, former presidents and prime ministers, parliamentarians, UN special rapporteurs, media personalities, sporting icons and leading human rights defenders — have signed an urgent public statement calling for the immediate release of a women’s rights champion on death row in Iran. Zahra

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United Nations

UN raises concern over destruction of graves of political prisoners of the 1980s in Iran

On 29 September 2025, five United Nations Special Procedures wrote to the Iranian authorities raising concern over the destruction and desecration of the mass grave site in Section 41 of Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery in Tehran. This grave site holds the remains of thousands of political prisoners executed during the 1980s, most likely including those of

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UN Votes to Recognise 1988 Massacre of Political Prisoners in Iran: JVMI Calls for Urgent Action to End Impunity

Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) Press Release | London – 19 November 2025 Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) welcomes today’s landmark vote at the United Nations General Assembly’s Third Committee adopting resolution A/C.3/80/L.30, which for the first time acknowledges the 1988 massacre of thousands of political prisoners in Iran. This step should have occurred long ago. UN Member States should now take urgent

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Joint Statement by Sports Icons to Stop the Execution of Iran’s Boxing Champion

Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, a 30-year-old boxing champion and coach from Mashhad. This follows a recent editorial in Fars News – affiliated to the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) – calling for a repeat of the 1988 massacre against current-day dissidents. The following is a statement by distinguished

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Joint Written Statement: International Community Must Act to Prevent a Repeat of the 1988 Massacre in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) has co-signed a joint written statement submitted by 27 NGOs to the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. A/HRC/60/NGO/164 calls on the international community to take urgent action to prevent a repeat of the 1988 massacre in the Islamic Republic of

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Iranian authorities confirm destruction of graves of executed political prisoners

London, 21 August 2025 – Iranian authorities deployed bulldozers and security personnel on 11 August 2025 to flatten Section 41 of Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery—one of the most significant burial sites for thousands of political prisoners executed in the 1980s. Tehran’s Deputy Mayor, Davoud Goudarzi, publicly confirmed on 19 August 2025 that the area had been converted

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Iran Destroying Graves of Political Prisoners in Behesht Zahra Cemetery

London, 16 August 2025 – Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) expresses grave concern over the recent destruction of Section 41 of Behesht Zahra Cemetery in Tehran. On 11 August 2025, Iranian authorities, deployed bulldozers, heavy machinery, and security personnel to flatten one of the most historically significant burial areas

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Five political prisoners transferred to Ghezel Hesar at imminent risk of execution in Iran

London, 8 August 2025: Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) is alarmed by credible reports that five Iranian political prisoners have been violently transferred this morning from Fashafooyeh Prison in Tehran to Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, a facility frequently used for carrying out political executions. According to information relayed

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Stop executions in Iran

322 Experts Urges UN Action to Prevent Repeat of Iran’s 1988 Massacre of Political Prisoners

London, 23 July 2025 – An influential group of 322 international human rights experts, Nobel laureates, former UN officials, and political leaders has today issued an urgent appeal to the United Nations to take immediate steps to save the lives of political prisoners in Iran and prevent a recurrence of the 1988 mass executions. The

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Iran’s State Media Calls for Repetition of 1988 Massacre, JVMI Urges UN Action

9 July 2025, London – Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) strongly condemns a deeply disturbing editorial published on 7 July 2025 by Fars News Agency, a state-affiliated outlet linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which openly calls for the repetition of the mass executions carried out in

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531 Experts Appeal to UN to Save Iran’s Political Prisoners from Execution Spree

London, 2 May 2025 – A coalition of more than 500 United Nations experts, Nobel laureates, former ambassadors, judges, human rights and legal experts, and NGOs have signed an urgent appeal for UN intervention to halt the imminent executions of political prisoners in Iran, condemning Tehran’s escalating campaign of politically motivated killings. 👉 To join

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5 Death Row Political Prisoners Risk Transfer to Qezel Hesar Execution Site in Iran

London, 16 April 2025: Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) urgently calls for international action to prevent the execution of five political prisoners who are risk of transfer from Evin Prison, Tehran, to Qezelhessar Prison (a.k.a. Qezel Hesar and Ghezel Hesar), a facility notorious for carrying out executions of political

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JVMI Joins UN Fact-Finding Mission & EEAS in Panel on Iran’s Human Rights Situation

Brussels, 11 April 2025: Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) participated in a hearing on human rights in Iran in the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights in Brussels on 8 April 2025 alongside European Union and United Nations officials. Tahar Boumedra, President of JVMI, urged the EU and UN

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Hossein-Ali Nayyeri, Former Head of the Tehran Death Commission, Dies

London, 4 April 2025 – Hossein-Ali Nayyeri, the former head of the Tehran Death Commission, responsible for the extrajudicial execution and enforced disappearance of thousands of political prisoners during the 1988 massacre in Iran, has died, state media reported on 3 April 2025. Nayyeri was never held accountable for his role in the 1988 massacre,

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Urgent Letter to OHCHR to Save Lives of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani in Iran

London, 26 January 2025 – A group of 383 distinguished international experts and NGOs have sent an urgent letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, requesting his immediate intervention to prevent the execution of Iranian political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani. Both men were forcibly transferred to Qezelhessar Prison,

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Iran: Maryam Akbari-Monfared Remains Jailed Despite Completing 15-Year Sentence

London, 12 October 2024: Maryam Akbari-Monfared, a political prisoner who has spent the last 15 years incarcerated in Iran, should have been released today, 12 October 2024.  She has been relentlessly seeking justice for her siblings who were executed during the 1988 massacre of political prisoners. However, due to an additional two-year sentence imposed on

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Statement by UN experts on Iran’s disinformation campaign against former UN Special Rapporteur

Click here to the profiles of the signatories London, 9 September 2024 – More than 50 distinguished United Nations experts and Nobel laureates published a statement on Monday, denouncing an Iranian disinformation campaign targeting former UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, Prof. Javaid Rehman. The following is the full text of the statement: The Iranian regime’s

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Stop executions in Iran

Joint Statement following 24 August 2024 conference on accountability for Iran’s atrocity crimes

Several of the distinguished participants of the 24 August 2024 international conference on accountability for Iran’s atrocity crimes released a joint statement following the event. The following is the text of their statement: Iran: Accountability for Atrocity Crimes 1988 to August 2024 It is an established fact that Iran’s current government has been and is

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International Experts Unite in Call for Accountability for Iran’s Atrocity Crimes

Leading international legal experts and human rights advocates joined forces on 24 August 2024 to condemn the ongoing impunity enjoyed by Iran’s leaders for decades of systematic human rights abuses. The focus of the international conference, held north of Paris, was the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, widely recognised as one of the gravest crimes

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Iran Executes 29 Prisoners in One Day Amidst Political Crackdown

On Wednesday, 7 August 2024, Iranian authorities executed 29 prisoners in a single day, marking a significant escalation in state-sanctioned executions. The executions, including 26 that were carried out en masse, occurred in Qezelhessar and Karaj Central Prisons, with two women among those executed. This comes amid growing concerns over the authorities’ intensified crackdown on

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July 2024: Landmark ‘Atrocity Crimes’ Report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran

London, 22 July 2024: The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Javaid Rehman, has published his final findings before his mandate ends on 31 July, stating that the “atrocity crimes” of summary, arbitrary and extra-judicial executions during 1981-1982 and in 1988 amounted to crimes against

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