This summer marks the 26th anniversary of Iran’s massacre against political prisoners in 1988. The shock and terror inflicted on the Iranian nation when tens of thousands of prisoners were executed in a matter of months went unnoticed in the international sphere, and unresolved in the Iranian psyche. The legacy of this event has resulted in the survival of a despotic regime, and the stunted growth of a nation.

A Decade of Blood

Public execution of dissidents in Iran

In order to understand the effect of the 1988 massacre, it is necessary to situate it in the historical context of 1980’s Iran. A decade which had started out with the highest of aspirations following the 1979 revolution, turned into a nightmare of horror and tragedy. The war with Iraq which started in 1980 also was used by the Mullahs to suppress criticism and justify their expansion of power. Khomeini entered Iran with religious sanctity that was unparalleled, his betrayal of the peoples trusts has instilled a cynicism towards politics in Iranians that continues to this day.

The massacre itself has never been formally investigated, and remains shrouded in mystery. Some estimates place the number of killed as high as 30,000. To date, the most damning evidence has come from within the ruling clergy itself, from Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri who lost his status as Khomeini’s successor by denouncing the massacre.

Khomeini’s fatwa for mass executions of Iranian political prisoners in 1988

The orders for the systematic execution of dissidents came from Khomeini himself, in the form of a fatwa (religious edict) and was meant to purge the country of any opposition, notably the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) who represented the largest threat to ruling clerics. Along with the PMOI many leftist activists were also executed, for refusing to renounce their beliefs. A large number of the prisoners who were executed had already been sentenced to serve a number of years for their crimes. Their executions occurred with little regard for due process or judicial oversight.

“My brother was killed on 28 August. In late November the authorities called us… they said that both my brothers had been executed but they didn’t give any documents. They didn’t say why they killed them, where they had been buried, why there had been a re-trial, their last words, nothing,” Jafar Behkish told Amnesty International.

For a complete legal analysis of the massacre and evidence of crimes against humanity see this Report by Geoffrey Robertson

According to testimony given to United Nations human rights rapporteurs Kamal Afkhami Ardekani, who formerly worked at Evin prison: “They would line up prisoners in a 14-by-five-metre hall in the central office building and then ask simply one question, ‘What is your political affiliation?’ Those who said the Mojahedin would be hanged from cranes in position in the car park behind the building.”

The body of an executed prisoner is seen in a mass grave.

Amnesty International has noted that 25 years after the massacre, the regime continues to suppress any information about the killings, arresting family members who dare to speak out or visit mass graves at the Khavaran cemetery.

The Effects of Trauma

Much has been written about the horrors of the massacre and what occurred, and there exist numerous eyewitness accounts. That which is not often discussed is the affect the massacre had on the nation as a whole.

First and foremost the shock of such a brutal and systematic massacre left the country paralyzed with horror. Unable to comprehend the extent of the tragedy, many denied that it had even taken place. Others were left in a state of shock, unable to demand an investigation, or properly mourn and move on.