On the fortieth anniversary of a referendum that led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran, a human rights organization has published the first volume of a series of books, titled "The Face of Crime."
The first volume of the series exclusively covers the cases of 100 human rights violators in Iran, says Justice for Iran, JFI.
Established in July 2010, Justice for Iran is a non-governmental, not-for-profit human rights organization, JFI according to its website. "The mission of JFI is to address and eradicate the practice of impunity that empowers officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran to perpetuate widespread human right violations against their citizens, and to hold them accountable for their actions."
The next volumes of the series will list 400 more human rights violators in Iran to set the scene for their legal accountability.
Out of the 100 human rights violators listed in the first volume, 25 are serving in entities under the direct supervision of the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. fifty more serve in judicial capacities, 36 in governmental positions, and one as a member of Majles (Iranian parliament).
The list includes the names of Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani, the head of the judiciary, mid-ranking cleric Ebrahim Raeisi (Raeesi) and his predecessor, Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, as well as the former Prime Minister, Mir Hossein Mousavi (1981-1989).
Mir Hossein Mousavi has been under house arrest since February 2011 for protesting the result of 2009 controversial presidential election and calling on people to gather in support of the Arab Spring.
Based on research results reflected in the book, the 100 political figures have been involved in a long list of human rights violations including the mass execution of thousands of prisoners who were serving their terms in 1988, suppressing people's protests in the 1980s, 1990s, and in the aftermath of the controversial presidential election in 2009 that officially held the hardliner incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in office.
Furthermore, the book accuses many of the violators of murder, torture, sexual torture, suppressing dissidents, and political serial killings in Iran and abroad.
Mass executions of the prisoners in late 1980s have been described as the largest in the history of the Islamic Republic.
Earlier on December 4, 2018, Amnesty International (AI) released a 200-page report including documents and evidence concerning the mass killings in 1988.
By concealing the fate and whereabouts of thousands of political dissidents who were forcibly disappeared and secretly executed in prison more than 30 years ago, Iranian authorities are continuing to commit crimes against humanity, said Amnesty International in its damning report.
In the report, Blood-soaked secrets: Why Iran’s 1988 prison massacres are ongoing crimes against humanity, AI called on the UN to "set up an independent investigation" into the mass enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings which have gone unpunished for three decades.
“These blood-soaked secrets from Iran’s past continue to haunt the country to the present day. This report unravels the web of denials and distortions that the Iranian authorities have perpetuated over thirty years, both at home and internationally, to hide the truth that they forcibly disappeared and systematically killed thousands of political dissidents within a matter of weeks between late July and early September 1988,” said Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
Meanwhile, individuals responsible for these crimes against humanity have evaded justice and, in some cases, those involved have held and continue to hold powerful positions in Iran today, AI said, adding, more recently that the mass killings have been celebrated in the country and those involved hailed as heroes.
“Instead of continuing their cruel attacks against families, the Iranian authorities should be ensuring their right to truth, justice, and reparation – including returning victims’ bodies and identifying remains by allowing professional exhumations of mass graves and DNA analysis,” said Philip Luther.
Based on the JFI research, 41 out of the 100 listed in the first volume of the human rights violators, have so far been internationally held accountable for their crimes, and are banned from traveling to Europe and North America, and their bank accounts and assets abroad are blocked.
