Announcement
The Campaign to set up an International Tribunal to investigate the massacre of political prisoners in Iran
In the summer of 1988, the Islamic Republic of Iran massacred thousands of political prisoners across the country. Men and women were blindfolded and taken out of their cells and were either shot by a firing squad or were hanged within the prison compounds and prayer rooms. Not a single one of the prisoners was given a proper trial. Instead, a group who later became known as the “Death Commission” decided the fate of the prisoners on the basis of their answers to a few questions. There are no exact figures of the number of victims due to the harsh censorship and suppressive political climate in Iran.
However, there are around 5,000 known names of victims to this day which have been documented by their families, political parties and human rights organizations. The Islamic Republic of Iran refuses to provide any information or details about the massacres or the location of the victims’ graves, although a number of mass graves have been discovered by the families. Khavaran cemetery in the south western suburbs of Tehran, the capital of Iran, is the most well-known place of such mass graves. Families gather here every year on August 31st to honour the memory of their loved ones.
The massacre of political prisoners was the culmination of the Islamic Republic’s policy of repression against its opponents in the 1980s during which around 20,000 dissidents disappeared, died under torture or were executed either by firing squad or by hanging.
During the recent uprising of the Iranian people in their millions, the security and armed forces of the regime yet again demonstrated their callousness towards the freedom seeking people of Iran by their barbaric crackdown on the peaceful demonstrators on the streets of Iran.
We, a group of individuals composed of the families of the victims, former political prisoners, the survivors of this human tragedy, political and labour activists, women’s rights activists, lawyers, students, children’s rights activists, writers, artists and human rights activists, have been holding regular meetings since October 2007 in order to assess the feasibility of setting up a symbolic international tribunal, whereby the Islamic Republic of Iran would be held to account for its crimes against humanity. This symbolic inquest will have the authority to bring this human tragedy, concealed and unacknowledged for almost three decades onto the world stage whereby the brutality and cruelty of the Islamic regime would at long last be examined, exposed and judged.
The world should know what took place in Iran during the 1980s; particularly, in the summer of 1988. The horror and brutality was of such criminal magnitude that when exposed, and we believe that the evidence will be sufficiently convincing, the Islamic Republic of Iran will be condemned and held to account.
We call upon all those who abhor injustice and love freedom; journalists, lawyers, political and labour activists, students, human rights activists and progressive organisations to support our campaign by any possible and available means at their disposal. Through our solidarity and united action, we can succeed in mobilising the freedom loving world opinion toward our humanitarian cause, by means of which the Islamic Republic regime would be held accountable for its crimes against humanity at this essential and long overdue tribunal.
- A group of families of execution victims during 1980s – Tehran
- A group of mothers of execution victims known as “Khavaran Mothers”
- A group of mothers of execution victims during 1970s and 1980s
- Mother Salahi, mother of execution victims Salahi and Babak Mahmoudi
- Mother Esmat Vatan Parast (Mother of execution victims Jalileh and Azam Sayadi, sister of execution victims Mahmoud, Ali and Manoucher Vatan Parast, aunt of execution victim Javad Rahmani).
- Mani Yousefi (Family member of execution victims, father and two uncles)
- Iman Shirali (son of execution victim Iraj Shirali, political activist)
- Shahnaz Kaydpour (Sister of execution victim Dariush Kaydpour)
- Shokoofeh Montazeri (Daughter of execution victim Hamid Montazeri)
- Rakhshandeh Hussainpour Roodsari (Wife of execution victim Ali Mehdizadeh velojerdi and sister of execution victims Hamid and Rahim Hussainpour Roodsari)
- Heydar Jahangiri (Survivor and of family member of execution victims Mahin, Mohammadgholi, Allahgholi and Jafar Jahangiri)
- Zarir Jahangiri (Family member of execution victims Mahin, Mohammadgholi, Allahgholi and Jafar Jahangiri, former political prisoner)
- Mohammadali Zand Karimi (Brother of execution victim Raouf Zare-ei)
- Saeed Montazeri (Brother of execution victim Hamid Montazeri, political activist)
- Shahla Talebi(Survivor and Wife of execution victim Hamid Heydar)
- Sohrab Khoshbouyee ( Brother of execution victims Cyrus, Gholamali and Sasan Khoshbouyee)
- Zari Erfani (Sister of execution victim Mohammadhussain Erfani)
- Mina Lebadi (Wife of execution victim AliasgharZeyghami)
- Nahid Sarvestani (Sister of execution victim Rostam Akbarpour, film maker)
- Cyrus Dastaran (Brother of execution victim Khosro Dastaran, political activist)
- Zargham Asadi (Brother of execution victim Ghazanfar Asadi and nephew of execution victim Massoud Asadi, political activist)
- Nima Sarvestani (Brother of execution victim Rostam Akbarpour, film maker)
- Hassan Makaremi(Husband of execution victim Fatemeh Zare, Painting Artist and Calligraphy Artisti)
- Laleh Bazargan (Sister of execution victim Bijan Bazargan)
- Nashmil Hendoush (Sister of execution victim Naser Hendoush)
- Maryam Nouri (Wife of execution victim Rahmat Fathi, former political prisoner)
- Shahla Molavi (Wife of execution victim Javad Bahariyan Sharghi, Former political prisoner)
- Hussein Zalzadeh (Brother of execution victim Ebrahim Zalzadeh, Political activist)
- Nehzat Ashtarani (Daughter of execution victim Soltanali Ashtarani)
- Bijan AlKanan (Brother of execution victim Sasan AlKanan, former political prisoner)
- Hussein Husseinjani Moghaddam (Survivor and Brother of execution victim Farzaneh husseinjani Moghaddam)
- Soheila Niknejad(Family member of Execution victims Ali Akbar and Ali Ashraf Moradi and Ali Pasha-ei)
- Banou Saberi (Wife of execution victim Abbasali Monshi Roudsari)
- Reza Kaabi(Brother of execution victms Shahla and Nasrin Kaabi)
- Raof Kaabi(Brother of execution victms Shahla and Nasrin Kaabi)
- Akram Biranwand ( Survivors and family member of Execution victims Mahmoud and Nosrat Birawand)
- Roya Rezaei Jahromi(Sister of Execution victims Bijan, Behnam, Kavoos and Manoochehr Rezaei Jahrumi)
- Vida Rostamalipoor ( Wife and sister of execution victims Majid Irvani and Parvis Rostamalipoor)
- Sima Rostamalipoor (Sister of execution victim Parvis Rostamalipoor)
- Gita Rostamalipoor (Wife and brother of execution victims Nabi Jaddidi and Parvis Rostamalipoor)
- Khosrow Rostamalipoor (Brother of execution victim Parvis Rostamalipoor)
- Khatereh Moeini (Sister of execution victim Heybatulleh Moeini)
- Liela Danesh (Sister of execution victim Iraj Turabi, labour activist)
- Azar AlKanan (Survivor, political activist)
- Mohammad Javad Mohebi (Survivor, political Activist)
- Ramin Abdollahi (Survivors, labour activist)
- Shakib Moheb (Survivor and brother of execution victim Habibollah Moheb)
- Peyman Piran (Former political prisoner, student activist)
- Mansoureh Bashkand( Survivor, journalist)
- Ahmad Mousavi (Survivor , writer , political activist)
- Hazhir Palaschi (Journalist, writer)
- Jafar Moradi (Former political prisoner, political activist)
- Salah Bakhtiyar (Survivors, political activist)
- Ali Ashnagar (Former political prisoner, political activist)
- Mohammad Khoshzough (Survivor, Writer)
- Majid Mirzayee (Survivors)
- Mansour Kooshan (Writer, member of Association of Iranian Writers)
- Iraj Jannati Attayee (Playwrite, theatre director and poet)
- Hussein Mohammadi (Survivor)
- Manouchehr Safarali (Survivor, political activist)
- Saeed Arab (Survivor, political activist)
- Abbas Samakar (Poet, writer)
- Zhila Mosaed (Poet, writer)
- Behrooz Partow (Political activist)
- Ahmad Nabavi (Law practitioner)
- Sadigheh Mohammadi (Political activist, women’s rights activist)
- Ahmad Eskandari (Kurdish scholar)
- Nemat Azarm (Former political prisoner during the Shah’s regime, Poet, Persian language and literature scholar, founding member of Iran writers’ Society)
- Babak Rahimi(Journalist, political activist)
- Vahid Valizadeh (Journalist, writer)
- Babak Emad(Survivor, political activist)
- Shahin Pouya (Political activist, women’s rights activist)
- Esfandiar Monfaredzadeh (Musician)
- Elnaz Mahjoob (Journalist, women’s rights activist)
- A group of survivors in Tehran, Gilan and Kurdistan
- Shain Najafi (Artist, singer)
- PooyanDaneshian (Survivors, political activist)
- Siavosh Soltani (Survivor)
- Jamshid Paydari (Survivor, political activist)
- Mehrnoush Shafi-ie (Survivor)
- Esmaeil Haghshenas (Survivors, political activist)
- Masoud Baluch Human rights activist, director of Radio Baloochi)
- Banafshe Izadi (Survivor)
- Mitra Lagar (Survivors)
- Masooud Raouf (Film director, painting artist)
- Reza Azad (Survivor, painting artist)
- Iraj Mesdaghi (Writer, survivor, political activist)
- Dariosh Afshar (Human rights activist)
- Ardavan Zeybaram (survivor family member of 2 execution victims, political activist)
- FarmanSiabi (Survivor, political activist)
- Pantea Bahrami (Survivor, filmmaker)
- Shokoufeh Sakhi (Survivors, political science PhD/ABD)
- Hussein Mahini (Cinematographer, photographer)
- Susan Bahar (Director of Ban Child Labour Foundation and chief editor of Children’s and Youth publication, DARVAG)
- Roya Sadeghi (Survivor, political activist)
- Zaman Masoudi(Political activist, speaker of German Left Party, Hamburg)
- Nosrat Teymourzadeh (Political activist)
- Shida Jahanbeen (Journalist, student activist)
- Hamid Kamali (Former political prisoner during the Shah’s and the Islamic Republic regimes, political activist)
- Bijan Hedayat(Editorial board of theory e-journal Negah
- Mahnaz Ghezeloo (Former political prisoner, blogger)
- Farzaneh Zolfi (Survivor, political activist)
- Jalal Mohammadnejad (Political activist)
- Raha Bahreini (Law Gratute)
- Sayeh Sijani (Legal adviser)
- Hassan Massali (Political activist and family member of 3 Execution victims)
- Kiuomars Goodarzi (Former political prisoner)
- Hassan Jafari (political activist)
- Salah Irandost (Iran Tribun editorial member)
- Nasser Tahri (Former political prisoner)
- Josef Akrami (Film maker)
- Barahm Rahamani(Writer , member of Association of IranianvWriters in Exile)
- Hamid Sabi (Lawyer)
- Hossein Maleki (Survivor)
- Ebrahim Mohammad Rahim (Survivor, family member o Execution victims Aziz Mohammadd Rahimi, Soehila Mohammad Rahimi, Mehrangiz Mihammad Rahimi, Houshang Mohammad Rahimi and Hossein Majidi)
- Soghra Ghiasi(Sister of execution victim Kobra Ghiasi)
- Hassan Seyedhosseinzadeh (Survivor)
- Homayoun Kaviani (Survivor)
- Sahar Mohmmadi (family member of Execution victims Sousan Amiri, Asghar Amiri, Hassan Amiri)
- Sousan Golmohmmadi (Survivor, wife of execution victim Iraj Shirali)
- Ashrafalmolok Ghiasi (Survivor, mother in-law of execution victim Iraj Shirali)
- Galawizh Hiederi (Survivor, wife of execution victim Habibollah Cheraghi)
- Saleh Sharafi (Survivor)
- Nabaz Alidost (Survivor)
- Razieh Matinzadeh (Survivor)
- Saeideh Jabani (Daughter of execution victim Saeed Jabani)
- Mohammad Jafar Jaberi (Family member of execution victim Ebrahim Najaran)
- Ali Ebrahimzadeh (Brother of execution victim Gholam Ebrahimzadeh)
- Reza Poorkarimi Darya Kenari (Survivor)
- Masoud Ashrafi Semnani (Survivor)
- Zahra Tasorian (Wife of execution victim Esmaeil Bornak)
- Bijan Bahadori (Survivor)
- Amir Poorzeynal (Survivor)
- Jamileh Bahrami (Survivor)
- Mohammadreza Heibatollah poor
- Rahman Darkeshideh (Survivor)
- Shahnam Shargi Namin (Survivor)
- Siamak Kikavousi (Borther of execution victim Nahid Kikavousi)
- Siavash Daneshvar (Survivor)
- Hamid Ashtari (Survivor)
- Mahmoud Khademi (Brother of execution victims Hamid and Bahman Khademi)
- Kamal Ahmadi (Brother of execution victim Salah Ahmad)
- Kamran Gerami Nejad (Survivor)
- Ozra Yahyaei (Wife of execution victim Mohmmadreza Baykmohammadi)
- Hedayat Gholami (Survivor)
- Mehdi Dadashzadeh Tashkand (Brother of execution victim Masoud Dadashzadeh)
- Pirooz Zorchang (Survivor)
- Mohammad Zand Karimi ( Brother of execution victim Raof Zarei)
- Mokhtar Shalalvand ( Bother of execution victim Hamzeh Shalavand)
- Solmaz Roshan Zamir Ghafarpoor (Sister of execution victim Adel Ghafarpoor)
- Nina Tobaei (family member of execution victims Siamak Tobaei, Ahmad and Mohsen Nayeri)
- Fatemeh Jokar Ghochani (Survivor, wife of execution victim Saeed Jabani and his two brothers Koroush and Hamid Jabani )
- Bahram Mohseni Tabrizi (Brother of execution victim Bahman Mohseni Tabrizi)
- Hedaytollah Soltanzadeh (Brother of execution victim Enayat Soltanzadeh)
- Azizeh Shahmoradi (Survivor)
- Hedieh Shamsi (Daughter of execution victim Rahim Shamsi)
- Hedayat Matin Daftary (Lawyer)
- Hassan Hesam (Writer, member of Association of Iranian Writer in Exile)
- Ahmad Nikazar (Film maker, Theatre Artist)
- Sadegh Nahomi (Survivor)
- Ruhiyyeh Jahanpour (Survivor)
- Malakeh Mostafa Soltani (Sister of execution victims Majed, Amjad,Hossein and Amin Mostafa Soltani)
- Jalil Sharhani (Son and brother of execution victims Aziz and Mossa Sharahani)
- Navel Mohsen (Wife of execution victim Hossein Tajmir Reyahi)
- Shohreh Ghanbar (Survivor, painting artist)
- Shirin Ghanbari ( Survivor, singer)
- Nader Bokaei (Survivor)
- Kaveh Shahrooz (Lawyer)
- Mojdeh Shahriari (Lawyer)
- Nancy Hormachea (Lawyer)
- Heshmat Mostafa Soltani ( Bother of execution victims Majed, Amjad, Hossein and Amin Mostafa Soltani)
- Mohammad Reza Ashough (Survivor)
- Mehdi Aslani (Survivor, writer)
- Amir Atiabi (Survivor)
- Mehdi Memarpoori (Former political prisoner)
- Chowra Makarmi (Daughter and niece of execution victims Fatemeh Zarei and Fataneh Zarei)
After two years of preparatory works, Iran Tribunal campaign was officially established on 10 December 2009. The campaign was initiated by a large group of family members of execution victims and survivors in October 2007.