A letter signed by dozens of Nobel Prize laureates is calling on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to set up an international commission to investigate the 1988 mass murder of Iranian political prisoners, in which Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Ayatollah Ali Khameini were directly involved.
According to the letter, 33 years ago, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa, an Islamic legal advisory, which said, "All prisoners who are loyal to the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK - the main Iranian opposition movement) are considered Mohareb (one who wages war on God) regardless of the stage of their prison term, and should be executed."
The letter noted that this was followed by the interrogation and summary execution of thousands of people, a majority of whom supported the MEK opposition or refused to condemn it. The number of executed prisoners is unclear, with estimates ranging from 2,500 to 6,000, according to historian Ervand Abrahamian, though the MEK places it far higher, according to Iran International.
The letter said the fact that Raisi, the current president of Iran, was directly responsible for the massacre, emphasizes the need for an international investigative commission. Raisi was a member of the "Death Committee" which oversaw the executions.
Additionally, the letter stressed that human rights violations and crimes against humanity still occur in Iran, citing the murder of 1,500 Iranian protesters in November 2019.
