Iran Tribunal to try the Islamic Republic of Iran for crimes against humanity

Press Release

Iran Tribunal to try the Islamic Republic of Iran for crimes against humanity.

The Iran Tribunal announced today (14 June, 2012) that the hearing of evidence against the Islamic Republic of Iran for the massacre of political prisoners in the 1980’s will be held in London between 18-22 June 2012 at The Human Rights Action Centre of Amnesty.

During the 1980’s thousands of political prisoners were sent to the gallows without judicial process. This culminated in the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988 when thousands of political prisoners were executed.

The Iran Tribunal follows the precedent of Russell Tribunal, being a people’s court investigating the crimes committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran against humanity. However, the Iran Tribunal is unique in that it is set up by the families of the victims of the massacres and survivors of such massacres. As such, the Tribunal is unprecedented.

John Cooper QC, the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Iran Tribunal stated “This is a historical event. When victims of such atrocities and human right activists are without any local or international remedy the only alternative would be to set up your own process. It has taken years of hard efforts to make this tribunal a reality and we do sincerely hope that this tribunal will set a precedent for those who seek justice and acts as a hindrance to the re-occurrence of such atrocities in the future”.

The proceedings against the Islamic Republic of Iran is divided into two sets of hearing. The first one, the Truth Commission undertakes the factual investigation of these events. Some 80 eye witnesses and families of the victims will be heard during a five day process in London. The Truth Commission will be formed by six commissioners of international standing. The hearings will take place in Amnesty International’s Human Rights Action Centre, Shoreditch, London between 18-22 June 2012. Attending the hearings will be open to the public, however they should register in advance.

The second stage of the process will be the hearing of the Tribunal in The Hague. The Tribunal will be composed of six judges. The hearing will take place between 25-27 October 2012 at The Peace Palace in The Hague. The Tribunal will examine the findings of the Truth Commission and also will hear arguments on international law as well as expert evidence and will make a verdict as to whether Iran has breached its international obligations and committed crimes against humanity.

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