Iranian opposition activists stage mock execution outside Downing Street to mark anniversary of 1988 massacre
Explanation :In the summer of 1988, in a matter of a few
months, 30,000 political prisoners were massacred upon a fatwa by Khomeini, the Iranian regime's leader. Based on this fatwa, all the
prisoners who were still loyal to the opposition People's Mojahedin of Iran
(PMOI/MEK) and refused to renounce it were executed.
The following is the text of a report published by The
Independent on Monday:
Protesters have staged a mock execution as they entered the
final day of their hunger strike outside Downing Street in a bid to pressure
the UK government into condemning the “horrific” executions being carried out
in Iran.
The three-day demonstration began on Saturday to coincide
with the anniversary of the massacre of around 30,000 political prisoners
across the country in 1988.
Iran’s supreme leader at the time, Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini, issued a secret fatwa against people deemed to be “at war with
Allah”.
During the five-month purge the majority of people executed
came from the main political opposition party, the People’s Mujahedin of Iran,
and other smaller left-wing groups such as the Iranian Communist party.
Many were members of the minority Sunni Islamic community.
Over the weekend groups of Anglo-Iranians and British
supporters marked the anniversary in protest over the more than 2,500 people
they say have been hanged in the country since the start of Hassan Rouhani’s
presidency in 2013.
The National Council of the Resistance of Iran, which
organised the protest, said: “The hunger strikers and protesters are urging the
UK government to categorically condemn the incessant cruel hangings that are
taking place unabatedly in Iran and act with its Western allies to press for an
immediate halt to the executions and torture in Iran.
“They also called on the UN Human Rights Council and the UN
Security Council to refer the human rights dossier of the mullahs’ regime to
the International Criminal Court for the prosecution of its leaders including
the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.”
The Paris-based group’s president-elect Maryam Rajavi
described the 1988 massacre as an “appalling crime against humanity” and said
it was time for the UN “to end their silence and bring the record of the
Iranian regime's crimes before the International Criminal Court.”
Conservative MP Matthew Offord offered his support to the
protesters saying: “I would like to send my best wishes to all of you who are
protesting against the horrific events we have seen happening in Iran over this
past few weeks. “The mass execution of Sunni political prisoners is deeply
disturbing and has rightly been condemned…
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