Open Letter to UN High Commissioner Calls for Urgent Action on Human Rights Violations in Iran

An open letter addressed to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk was published on the website of the Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI). This letter has brought renewed attention to the grave human rights violations occurring in Iran. Supported by numerous human rights organizations and activists, it calls for immediate and decisive action from the international community to address these pressing issues.

Human Rights Violations in Iran

In a significant development, a coalition of current and former United Nations (UN) officials, human rights advocates, Nobel laureates, and democracy leaders has issued a powerful statement in response to a landmark report by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran. The report sheds light on decades of atrocity crimes in the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly focusing on mass executions carried out in the 1980s.

The signatories, which include renowned human rights experts and legal authorities, expressed their deep appreciation for the work of Professor Javaid Rehman, who served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran for six years. Professor Rehman’s efforts have been praised for exposing the mass executions of political prisoners in 1981-1982 and the 1988 massacre, where tens of thousands were killed. They also welcomed Dr. Mai Sato, who will succeed Rehman in continuing the pursuit of justice and accountability in Iran.

The report, authored by Rehman, highlights Iran’s longstanding culture of impunity. Specifically, it identifies the 1988 mass executions and enforced disappearances as ongoing crimes against humanity. The report notes substantial evidence suggesting that the killings, particularly against members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), were carried out with genocidal intent.

“Khomeini’s 1988 fatwa was clear in ordering the mass execution of steadfast PMOI members,” the report states. It adds that these executions were knowingly carried out by officials, including judges, prosecutors, and prison guards, under the pretext of religious and political enforcement.

Call for International Accountability

The signatories of the statement urge the UN Human Rights Council to take decisive action, including the establishment of an international accountability mechanism aimed at ending impunity in Iran. They also encourage the inclusion of explicit references to the 1988 massacre in this year’s Canadian-led UN Third Committee resolution on Iran, viewing it as essential to challenging the systemic impunity that has allowed such crimes to persist.

This statement represents a significant push for international accountability, echoing calls for justice that have been long-awaited by victims and their families.

The full text of the open letter, along with the names of the signatories, can be seen below: