Human Rights Defenders Center on the Anniversary of the Forouhar Murders: A Reminder of Unfinished Justice for 'Horrific Crimes'

The Human Rights Defenders Center, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the murders of Parvaneh Eskandari and Dariush Forouhar, described the memorial ceremony for them as a sign of 'standing firm on the right to dissent' and a reminder of the unfinished quest for justice regarding the 'horrific crimes' related to the chain murders. In a statement on Wednesday, December 1, the human rights organization mentioned that the aim of the children of this murdered couple, Parastoo and Arash Forouhar, in holding the anniversary ceremony was 'standing firm on the right to remembrance and justice.' According to published reports, participants in the 25th anniversary ceremony of the Forouhars gathered in their yard and chanted 'Women, Life, Freedom.' Dariush Forouhar, the Secretary-General of the Iran Nation Party and Minister of Labor in the interim government, and his wife Parvaneh Eskandari, were stabbed to death in their home on December 1, 1998. Several cultural and political dissidents in Iran were killed in the fall of 1998 in a targeted massacre by the security agencies of the Islamic Republic, which later became known as the 'chain murders.' The Human Rights Defenders Center also praised Parastoo Forouhar's 'pursuit of justice,' emphasizing that she has 'for 25 years, despite all pressures and restrictions, gone to Tehran to hold a ceremony for her parents.' Following Parastoo Forouhar's recent trip from Germany to Iran to commemorate her parents' murder anniversary, government agents interrogated her at Tehran airport and confiscated her passport. Parastoo Forouhar, in a December 2022 interview with Voice of America on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of her parents' murder, spoke about the necessity of public support to bring the families of the chain murder victims' pursuit to fruition. The Human Rights Defenders Center, in part of its statement, also mentioned the names of some other victims of the chain murders, including Mohammad Mokhtari, Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh, Majid Sharif, and Pirouz Davani. In a statement in January 1999, the Ministry of Intelligence admitted to the commission of the chain murders by its agents, although it introduced rogue agents as responsible for these crimes.