Iran: demand prosecutions of perpetrators of 1988 massacre

Mullah “Ahmad Jannati” fears the public discontent against the 1988 massacre 

Mullah“Ahmad Jannati”(chairman of Guardian Council): Imam (Khomeini) said that these (PMOI/MEK)  must be eradicated so that the roots of the system remain unharmed.

During this week’s Friday Show in Tehran, Mullah “Ahmad Jannati” expressed his fears from the advocacy movement for the 1988 massacrewhile defending Khomeini’s verdict regarding the mass execution of  prisoners in 1988. He added: ”This case (PMOI/MEK) and the publication of the audio file belonging to that credulous Sheikh(Mr. Montazeri), has turned into an excuse by means of which Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK) are trying to denounce our system and Khomeini”.

Jannati claimed that Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK) are now being supported by France, United States and Britain and added: … these (countries) are supporting Mojahedin; … They’re planning to gradually strengthen them and give them a more political role. These are the issues we are facing now; What Imam did was implementing the Islamic law.

This criminal Mullah defended Khomeini’s verdict for mass execution of Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK) and tried to justify it by saying: “Imam truly did the right thing since Mojahedin were the source of corruption and Imam (Khomeini) was trying to eradicate corruption. I hear some people say “what about Islam’s compassion?” Well, Islam has both compassion and roughness. Imam (Khomeini) said that these (PMOI/MEK) need to be eradicated so the roots of the system remain unharmed. Quran also considers these as “warriors” and gives orders to cut off their hands and their feet, to send them into exile and to hang them. This is Islamic law”

The facts:

- More than 30,000political prisoners were massacred in Iran in the summer of 1988.

- The massacre was carried out on the basis of a fatwa by Khomeini.

- The vast majority of the victims were activists of the opposition PMOI (MEK).

-  A Death Committee approved all the death sentences.

-  Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, a member of the Death Committee, is today Hassan Rouhani’s Justice Minister.

- The perpetrators of the 1988 massacre have never been brought to justice.

- On August 9, 2016, an audio tape was published for the first time of Khomeini’s former heir acknowledging that that massacre took place and had been ordered at the highest levels.