Executions in Iran's “Saydnaya”
- Mohammad Taghavi: a key witness to the 1988 massacres
- A genocide recognized by the UN
- Family repression: Mohammad Taghavi's brothers also targeted
The fall of the Syrian dictator and the opening of the doors of Syrian prisons by that country's defenders of freedom have revealed the horrific crimes committed by the Syrian regime, perpetrated in the silence and inaction of the international community. Let's not allow a similar silence to allow the Iranian dictator to continue slaughtering freedom fighters in Iran.
With 850 executions since the beginning of the year, Khamenei's Iran has sadly broken the world record for executions per capita. This appalling figure is not just a statistic: it symbolizes lives cut short, stories erased, but also the names of heroes who have fallen in the cause of freedom and will forever be remembered.
Among those recently condemned to death are six courageous men:
- Mohammad Taghavi, 58, former prisoner in the 1980s and 1990s (sentenced on November 25, 2024),
- Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar, 57, civil engineer,
- Babak Alipour, 33, law graduate,
- Vahid Bani-Amerian, 32, master's degree in management,
- Pouya Ghobadi, 32, electrical engineer,
- Abolhassan Montazer, 65, architect, also imprisoned in the 1980s and suffering from chronic illness.
Their crime? Activism for the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). Absurd and fabricated accusations aside, their real “crime” is to be members of an organization fighting for democracy and freedom in the face of an oppressive dictatorship.
Mohammad Taghavi: a key witness to the 1988 massacres
Mohammad Taghavi, who had already been arrested in 2020 and imprisoned for three years for his links with the PMOI, was separated from the other five and transferred to solitary confinement in the sinister Ward 209 of Evine prison. This transfer could indicate that his execution is imminent.
Wing 209, controlled by the Ministry of Intelligence, is notorious for being a place where inmates suffer the most brutal torture and inhumane treatment. Mohammad Taghavi is one of the few living witnesses to the 1988 massacre, during which the regime killed 30,000 political prisoners, 90% of whom were affiliated to the PMOI. This testimony could be yet another reason for the Iranian dictatorship to seek to eliminate him.
A genocide recognized by the UN
In his latest damning report, Professor Javaid Rehman, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran from July 2018 to July 2024, described two major waves of massacres in Iran - the 1982 massacre and the 1988 massacre - as genocide. He explains that the Islamic Republic executed its opponents solely for their political and religious beliefs, seeking to systematically eliminate them.
The 1988 massacre saw the execution of 30,000 political prisoners, most of them PMOI members, who were serving their sentences in Iranian prisons.
The “Atrocious Crimes” report also highlights other serious violations, including persecution of religious minorities - notably the Baha'i - sexual violence and abuse against women, the execution of minors, arbitrary and extrajudicial executions, and the enforced disappearance of thousands of political dissidents.
Family repression: Mohammad Taghavi's brothers also targeted
Mohammad Taghavi's two brothers, Mojtaba and Ali Taghavi, were also sentenced to prison and exile solely because they are Mohammad's brothers. These verdicts, handed down by the same judge and the same court, clearly show that the regime aims to repress not only activists, but also their relatives.
Let's not let silence be a shield for these crimes. Just as the world discovered the atrocities in Syria's Saydnaya prison after the fall of Assad, we must act to prevent the same horrors being repeated in Iran's jails. History will judge us on our ability to defend the defenders of freedom and put an end to this barbarism.