Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) was among 22 NGOs that submitted a joint written statement to the 49th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, urging UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to establish an international inquiry into the 1988 massacre of thousands of political prisoners.
Joint written statement A/HRC/49/NGO/127, which was distributed to UN Member States on 16 February 2022, refers to a separate open letter to the Human Rights Council signed by hundreds of human rights and legal experts, academic institutions and civil society organisations, many in consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), seeking a UN probe into the 1988 mass extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances of political prisoners.
The 22 NGOs pointed out that the 1988 mass executions and enforced disappearances constitute ongoing crimes against humanity.
“We believe it’s long overdue for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to investigate the 1988 massacre. We urge the OHCHR to now make up for its shortcomings through a public inquiry into these ongoing atrocities in order to hold the perpetrators accountable,” the joint written statement added.
The joint written statement is available on the UN website: https://undocs.org/A/HRC/49/NGO/127