The alarming rise in executions in Iran under the current regime paints a grim picture of the human rights crisis unfolding in the country. Since the appointment of Iran’s so-called “reformist” president, an estimated 160 individuals, including 10 women, have been executed. This number also includes a shocking public execution. On September 18, 2024, two supporters of the Iranian opposition group People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) were sentenced to death, marking another dark chapter in the ongoing suppression of dissent. Furthermore, the lives of four women activists hang in the balance, with the regime threatening imminent execution.
While the current wave of executions has drawn significant attention, it is not an isolated phenomenon. Iran has a deeply entrenched history of using capital punishment as a tool of political repression, particularly against dissidents. This pattern of executions can be traced back to the early years of the Islamic Republic, particularly during the 1980s. One of the darkest moments in modern Iranian history is the 1988 massacre, during which 30,000 political prisoners—majority of whom were affiliated with the main opposition group MEK—were systematically executed following a fatwa issued by the Supreme Leader at the time, Ayatollah Khomeini. These prisoners were often subjected to sham trials that lasted only minutes before being sent to their deaths.
The brutality of the 1988 massacre has remained largely unpunished, which has fostered a culture of impunity that continues to embolden the Iranian regime to carry out human rights violations with little fear of retribution. In his Final report, Professor Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, whose term ended this July, highlighted this very issue. He emphasized that the root of many of the current human rights violations in Iran lies in the heinous crimes committed by the regime during the 1980s, particularly the massacre of 1988. Rehman’s report calls for an international mechanism to investigate and prosecute those responsible for these atrocities, noting that the failure to hold the regime accountable has only perpetuated further abuses.
The ongoing campaign of executions in Iran has sparked widespread outrage among Iranians, both within the country and in the diaspora. Many have joined the “Call for Justice” campaign, a grassroots movement that seeks to hold the masterminds and perpetrators of the 1988 massacre accountable for their crimes. This campaign has become a central part of the broader struggle for justice and human rights in Iran. As Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), noted in a recent tweet,
“The prosecution of the masterminds and perpetrators of the 1988 massacre has turned into a general desire in Iranian society. The Call for Justice Campaign is an indispensable part of the efforts to end the wave of executions in Iran.”
In light of these alarming developments, the international community has a moral responsibility to support the Iranian people in their quest for justice and human rights. The United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) must take clear and decisive action to address the regime’s long-standing crimes against humanity. One of the key recommendations from Professor Rehman’s report is the establishment of an international mechanism to prosecute Iranian regime officials for genocide and crimes against humanity, specifically focusing on the atrocities committed in 1981, 1982, and during the 1988 massacre. Such a mechanism is critical to ensuring that those responsible for these horrific crimes are held accountable, and that justice is finally served for the tens of thousands of victims who were brutally silenced by the regime.
The internation community, and we in Belgium must do more than just condemning what is going on in Iran, a firm policy is needed to show that we do not approve what is going on in Iran. A first step is blacklisting the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the main tool of repression and terrorism in EU’s terror list. By acknowledging the Iranian people’s right to self-defense, the international community can provide crucial moral and political support to those who are risking their lives in the fight for freedom and democracy.
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