EXCLUSIVE U.N. expert backs probe into Iran's 1988 killings, Raisi's role

• Javaid Rehman, UN expert on Iran, criticises conduct of election
• Urges independent inquiry into alleged 1988 killing of thousands
• Tells Reuters probe must establish role of President-elect Raisi
• Iran has never acknowledged the mass executions in Khomeini era

GENEVA, June 29 (Reuters) - The U.N. investigator on human rights in Iran has called for an independent inquiry into allegations of state-ordered executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 and the role played by President-elect Ebrahim Raisi as Tehran deputy prosecutor.

Javaid Rehman, in an interview with Reuters on Monday, said that over the years his office has gathered testimonies and evidence. It was ready to share them if the United Nations Human Rights Council or other body sets up an impartial investigation.

He said he was concerned at reports that some "mass graves" are being destroyed as part of a continuing cover-up.

"I think it is time and it's very important now that Mr. Raisi is the president (-elect) that we start investigating what happened in 1988 and the role of individuals," Rehman said from London, where he teaches Islamic law and international law.

A probe was in the interest of Iran and could bring closure to families, he said, adding: "Otherwise we will have very serious concerns about this president and the role, the reported role, he has played historically in those executions."

Raisi's office could not be reached for comment. The office of the spokesman of the Iranian judiciary was not immediately available to comment. Iran’s missions to the United Nations in in Geneva and New York did not respond to requests for comment.

Raisi, a hardline judge, is under U.S. sanctions over a past that includes what the United States and activists say was his involvement as one of four judges who oversaw the 1988 killings. Amnesty International has put the number executed at some 5,000, saying in a 2018 report that "the real number could be higher".

Raisi, when asked about allegations that he was involved in the killings, told reporters: "If a judge, a prosecutor has defended the security of the people, he should be praised ... I am proud to have defended human rights in every position I have held so far."

Rehman said: "We have made communications to the Islamic Republic of Iran because we have concerns that there is again a policy to actually destroy the graves or there may be some activity to destroy evidence of mass graves."

"I will campaign for justice to be done," he added.

In a statement, the Justice for Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran welcomed Rehman's call, saying that a U.N. investigation into the extrajudicial executions was "long overdue".

ARRESTS, INTIMIDATION

Raisi succeeds Hassan Rouhani on Aug. 3, having secured victory this month in an election marked by voter apathy over economic hardships and political restrictions. read more

Rehman denounced what he called "deliberate and manipulative strategies adopted to exclude moderate candidates and to ensure the success of a particular candidate".

"There were arrests, journalists were stopped from asking specific questions about the background of the presidential candidate Mr Raisi and there was intimidation towards any issues that were raised about his previous role and background."

Iran has never acknowledged that mass executions took place under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the revolutionary leader who died in 1989.

"The scale of executions that we hear imply that it was a part of a policy that was being pursued...It was not just one person," Rehman said.

He said there had also been "no proper investigation" into the killing of protesters in Nov. 2019, the bloodiest political unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

"Even by conservative estimates we can say that more than 300 people were killed arbitrarily, extrajudicially, and nobody has been held accountable and no compensation," he said.

"There is a widespread and systemic impunity in the country for gross violations of human rights, both historically in the past as well as in the present."

Share:

Read More

Iran’s Election Boycott Signified Much More Than Just A Change In Administration

nternational news outlets have shown a growing awareness of the boycott of Iran’s presidential election that took place a week ago. Even some Iranian state media have speculated about voter participation rates that could break the record low that was set only 16 months ago at the latest parliamentary election.

Western media are picking up this phenomenon in Iran that the regime itself has made little effort to cover up. But those same outlets should not overlook the reasons behind the popular boycott, which appears to be exactly what they’ve done.

Most reports in the U.S. and Europe seem to ascribe voter apathy to a relative lack of options on the ballot, coupled with growing frustration over an economic crisis and a glut of corruption.

These things certainly are contributing to the appeal of the boycott movement, but what Western reporting tends to neglect is the fact that this movement has deep roots, which highlight the extraordinary challenges the regime stands to confront in the aftermath of the election and the appointment of Ebrahim Raisi as the regime’s next president.

Raisi takes office in August. He is currently the head of the country’s judiciary, having been appointed to that position by Supreme Leader Khamenei in 2019. A body known as the Guardian Council is tasked with safeguarding Khameni’s authority through a vetting process for candidates to high office. This year it blocked the candidacy of all but seven of nearly 600 individuals who initially registered. On the understanding that Khamenei had made his choice of Rouhani’s successor, the Council left Raisi without serious challengers.

As head of the judiciary, Raisi oversaw initial attacks on participants in the November 2019 uprising, as well as the interrogation and torture of thousands of activists who were arrested during and after those protests.

In that uprising, more than 1,500 demonstrators were killed, and at least 12,000 were arrested. Amnesty International later released a report, which stated that the torture of those detainees had begun immediately and continued for several months.

The torture seemed to confirm what had already been implied by Raisi’s initial conduct as judiciary chief; that Iran had entered a period during which repression of dissent would be more intense than it had been for years, or perhaps even decades.

This reflects Raisi’s background, which is defined, above all else, by his leading role in the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners during the summer of 1988, where a majority were members and supporters of Iran’s organised opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).

As one of the members of the Tehran “death commission” that interrogated political prisoners over their affiliations before sending them to the gallows, Raisi bears responsibility for a large portion of these mass executions.

The Iranian people are well aware of this, and most recognize that Raisi’s appointment by the Supreme Leader is a symbol of the regime’s approval not only of the recent crackdowns on protesters but also of a massacre that has been described as a crime against humanity and one of the worst crimes in Iran’s modern history.

This is not just a trivial detail of the potentially record-low voter turnout. It is a sign of much more than the rejection of this electoral process or any of the other “travesties” that the regime has overseen in the past. It is in fact the rejection of the regime in its entirety. It will ultimately be a sign of continued support for the message of the 2018 and 2019 uprisings, which was unequivocally a message of regime change and democratic governance as an alternative to the ruling theocratic dictatorship.

The international community must be aware of this and alter its Iran policy of appeasement accordingly. More popular protests and the regime’s crackdown in response to these protests are inevitable. All major world powers will soon have to decide whether they will stand with the Iranian people against their repressive government.

Hossein Abedini is deputy director the Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in the United Kingdom.  

Share:

Read More

Sisters rented or victims & new slaves!

The author of this revelation wants to remain anonymous and we respect this request 

Sisters rented or victims & new slaves!

I was very curious to know what kind of personality these rented sisters have. How and by what organs and organizations are they used? How much do they get paid? What social and economic class are they from?

 So I went to a family member who works for the Intelligence and Public Security Police at the Greater Tehran Police Command. After a short chat, I showed her some of the photos of these "rent sisters" on my cell phone and asked, "What's going on?" He smiled and asked, "Do you want to get married?" I replied, "First of all, no; Secondly, God forbid I want to marry such people in terms of personality! I just wanted to know how these people participate in these ceremonies with this situation? And despite the apparent contradictions they have with the government !! Do they support the government? »

 We, called These people are "Commission sisters" or "the officer lost two zeros” he said

Most of these women and girls commit crimes such as running away from home; Drug addiction, prostitution, theft and و. They are arrested and sent to prisons and wards related to women after filing a case and preliminary investigation, and then the prosecutor's office and a court ruling.

In prison, these women are identified as having higher education and IQ, or who are expected to return to wrongdoing after their release, and are offered cooperation; Until they are released from prison, they will work for that relevant body (Ministry of Intelligence, IRGC Intelligence, Intelligence Police, Security Police, etc.) and most of these women will accept (because they do not have a proper family and husband, and they do not have a salary. Will not be available to them)

Then he continued: "For example, our department (Fateb Intelligence and Public Security Police) used these girls and women as bait to infiltrate pyramid companies (Gold Quest) or houses and gangs of corruption and prostitution, as well as identifying runaway girls and The addict uses it in parks and streets and..

Of course, because they look like that! No one doubts them, but because they do not have the right social personality and they do these things for money, they must be constantly under control, otherwise they will go under water and want to bypass us.

I asked him, "Well, the ones you said are spies and Chinese news; "What do they have to do with participating in government demonstrations, raising pictures of Khomeini and Khamenei, and saying the regime's favorite things in a TV interview?"

"Well, our office," he said. He asks these (rent sisters) to do espionage and intelligence work. But bodies such as the IRGC or the Ministry of Intelligence or even the security of the Radio and Television; According to their goals, they can use these people for political and ideological purposes! All you have to do is write a piece of paper before the ceremony and give it to them and they want to keep it in their mind and then repeat it in front of the radio and television camera, inducing the viewer that women with such faces are also pro-regime. »

The captain continued: "As the Basij or the IRGC uses well-known and well-known thugs as personal clothes and batons! Among these special women he could use for his own purposes, and one case was the same woman who claimed to be the concubine of Ataullah Mohajerani and had sued him in the family court! Which later turned out to be a project designed by the parallel intelligence apparatus and was rendered ineffective.

In the end, the captain advised me to stay away from such women, because they themselves are dangerous and usually a few assassins as bodyguards are always with them, who have judicial immunity and are not afraid to kill anyone.

Share:

Read More