A Former Government Official of Iran Convicted for Role in the 1988 Massacre of Political Prisoners

August 3, 2022
News

The Abdorraham Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran welcomes the Swedish court’s recent decision over former Iranian official, Hamid Nouri, who was convicted for war crimes and murder related to the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran. From July to November 1988, thousands of political prisoners across Iran were brought before Death Committees and many were executed without a fair trial. The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center reports that the government attempted to cover up the murders and banned the families of victims from mourning when they were informed of the executions months later.  As knowledge of the massacre entered the mainstream in the 2010’s, civil society organizations and UN human rights rapporteurs called for justice to be brought to the survivors and families of the victims. In November 2019, Swedish authorities arrested Hamid Nouri, former assistant to a prison prosecutor during the 1988 executions, under charges of war crimes and murder. On July 14th of this year, Nouri was given to two life sentences for each of these crimes. While welcoming this development, the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center emphasizes that this should be just the first step in holding those involved in the massacre accountable for their actions.

Read the full report here.