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 the summer of 1988. The editorial characterises the extrajudicial killing of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 as a “successful historical experience” and explicitly advocates similar punitive actions against present-day detainees and opposition figures.
The article, entitled “Why the 1988 Executions Should Be Repeated,” not only justifies and glorifies crimes against humanity, but also issues what can be interpreted as incitement to commit future atrocity crimes. It seeks to normalise the extrajudicial killing of political opponents by framing them as threats to national security, aligning with a broader pattern of state-sponsored dehumanisation and criminalisation of dissent.
The publication of such content by a media organ directly affiliated with the IRGC—an entity sanctioned internationally for grave human rights violations—underscores the urgent risk of recurrence of mass atrocity crimes in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This threat comes at a time when Iranian authorities are engaged in a brutal campaign of repression, including the arbitrary detention and sentencing of political prisoners, dissidents, and minority activists. JVMI has already documented multiple patterns of persecution reminiscent of the lead-up to the 1988 massacre, including denial of fair trial guarantees, forced confessions, and widespread use of solitary confinement and torture.
We recall that the then-United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Professor Javaid Rehman, in his 2024 landmark report on atrocity crimes, concluded that the events of 1988 “amounted to the crimes against humanity of murder, extermination, persecution, and other inhumane acts.” The report further noted that “there is considerable evidence that mass killings…were conducted with genocidal intent,” and it called for international accountability. His report noted the systematic impunity that has emboldened Iranian authorities to continue committing gross human rights violations, including the recent unlawful executions of protesters and prisoners of conscience.
This latest editorial from Fars News represents a clear and public incitement to violence, and a warning signal that the Iranian authorities, or affiliated institutions, may be preparing or attempting to justify a renewed campaign of mass executions.
JVMI condemns this incitement to violence in the strongest terms and calls on the United Nations human rights system, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); the current Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Mai Sato; and the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFMI) to take immediate and decisive action. The international community must not remain silent in the face of such blatant threats to replicate crimes against humanity. We urge the following measures:
- Investigation and Condemnation: The OHCHR, Special Rapporteur on Iran, and FFMI should urgently investigate the Fars News Agency’s editorial as incitement to commit atrocity crimes and issue a public condemnation. This rhetoric violates international human rights law, including the prohibition on incitement to violence and mass murder.
- Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms: Building on the recommendations of Prof. Rehman’s 2024 report, the UN Human Rights Council must establish an international investigative and accountability mechanism to preserve evidence, document ongoing violations, and pursue justice for the 1988 massacre and related crimes. The Fars News editorial underscores the urgency of such a mechanism to counter the authorities’ impunity.
- Protection for Victims and Survivors: The UN must take concrete steps to protect survivors, families of victims, and human rights defenders in Iran and the diaspora, who face harassment, intimidation, and reprisals for seeking truth and justice. The editorial’s call for renewed executions places these individuals at heightened risk.
- Inclusion in UN Resolutions: JVMI echoes the call for the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee to include specific references to the 1988 massacre and ongoing threats, such as those expressed by Fars News, in its 2025 resolution on Iran. This would signal a commitment to ending the culture of impunity that enables such dangerous rhetoric.
The 1988 massacre remains an open wound for the Iranian people, with families still denied the truth about their loved ones’ fates and the locations of mass graves. The Fars News Agency’s attempt to glorify this tragedy and advocate for its repetition is a stark reminder of the Iranian authorities’ disregard for human rights and international law. As Prof. Rehman noted, “The continued concealment of the fate of thousands of political opponents and the whereabouts of their remains amounts to the crime against humanity of enforced disappearance.” The international community’s failure to act risks emboldening further atrocities.
JVMI stands in solidarity with the victims, survivors, and their families, who have courageously demanded justice for over three decades. We call on UN Member States, the OHCHR, the FFMI and Dr. Mai Sato to act swiftly to address this latest threat and to uphold the principles of truth, justice, and accountability. The victims of the 1988 massacre and the Iranian people deserve nothing less.
Background to the 1988 Massacre:
In 1988, the government of Iran massacred an estimated 30,000 political and ideological prisoners. The extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances took place based on a fatwa by then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, targeting the main opposition movement, the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI or MEK). Three-member commissions known as ‘Death Commissions’ were formed across Iran, sending political prisoners who refused to abandon their beliefs to execution. Members of other leftist groups were also executed in a subsequent second wave. The victims were buried in secret mass graves. The perpetrators continue to enjoy impunity.
Contact:
Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI)
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iran1988.org