Lars Rise, Former Member of Parliament of Norway joined the Online Free Iran Global Summit—day 2. In his remarks, Mr. Rise said, “There is a truth in the 1988 massacre, or I must say this genocide. The truth is Iran’s criminal rulers massacred those affiliated with the PMOI.”
In July 1988, the Iranian religious fascism’s founder and the first supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa ordering the execution of imprisoned opponents, including those who had already been tried and were serving their prison terms. This was the beginning of what turned out to be the biggest massacre of political prisoners since World War II.
Following the decree, some 30,000 political prisoners were extra-judicially executed within several months. Today, thanks to the initiative of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), known as “Call for Justice” many legal and international bodies have joined the families of victims in search of justice.
Here is the speech of Mr. Lars Rise:
I would like to congratulate the NCRI, PMOI, and Madame Rajavi for the very successful global summit that was held two days ago with an amazing impact on everyone who heard the news inside and outside Iran. That summit was a good indication of strong internal roots of the Iran resistance movement, led by Mrs. Rajavi, as well as international support.
The topic for today’s meeting—the call for justice for the 1988 massacre that remains unpunished is very important. Without accountability, the Iranian regime’s crimes will continue. This is a regime that is used to having no rule of law. One of the main reasons that, in spite of over 60 United Nations resolutions condemning human rights violations in Iran, crimes of this regime still go on is because Iran’s rulers have not been held accountable and have not been punished yet for the horrible crime they committed in 1988.
There is a truth in the 1988 massacre, or I must say this genocide. The truth is Iran’s criminal rulers massacred those affiliated with the PMOI. They murdered 30,000 political prisoners, mostly of the PMOI in 1988. Then, they started telling the big lie that the PMOI was not popular in the Iranian society, and this is what we hear all the time today.
As instructed by the Nazi minister of propaganda, tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it for long enough to be believed. And unfortunately, it was believed by our governments in the West. I have spoken to many of my colleagues who have read the propaganda coming out of the Ministry of Intelligence, and especially the Department of (Hypocrisy). It has been believed by those who were eager to continue their relationship with the Iranian regime for making more profits.
Only 10 to 15 kilometers from where I’m sitting right now, there were resistance cells and my grandfather was part of this resistance movement, which we know prevailed. In the end, they were winning over this cruel regime, and it’s a good reminder today to know that those who stand for truth and justice will prevail in the end.
The Nazi philosophy is in use every day in Tehran. It is very important to bring the responsible to justice. It is a must for the international community to forcefully take up this case of the 1988 massacre to the international tribunals, to pursue justice and to let the Iranian savage rulers know that it will be held accountable. And I hope very much that the international community wakes up to see who’s popular inside Iran and who is most hated by the Iranian people.
So, this brings an ethical duty for the United Nations, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to seek justice for the 1988 massacre.
