PourMohammadi Says '30 Committees' Decided on the Executions of 1988

Mostafa PourMohammadi, a candidate in the 14th presidential election, in an interview discussed his role in the execution of political prisoners in the 1980s, describing these executions as a project of the 'Islamic Republic' and 'difficult moments for the regime.' PourMohammadi, a key member of the execution committee known as the 'Death Commission' in the summer of 1988, emphasized in an internet program published on Sunday, July 3, that only those who were members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq organization and 'fighting against the people' received death sentences from various committees. In August and September 1988, a large number of political and ideological prisoners, mainly members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq or leftist and communist groups, were executed in Iranian prisons. These prisoners were handed over to execution squads by a decree from Ruhollah Khomeini and were mostly buried in unmarked graves in Khavaran cemetery in southeast Tehran. In another part of his speech, while referring to his meeting with Hossein Ali Montazeri, the then-deputy leader, regarding the execution of those accused related to the Mojahedin-e Khalq, he said: 'When we were to go to Mr. Montazeri with this committee, he turned to one of our group and said, if I did not consider this person a pious man, and did not think of PourMohammadi as a good boy, I would not let you in here at all.' PourMohammadi, who was then the representative of the Ministry of Intelligence at Evin prison, met with Hossein Ali Niyari (the Sharia judge), Morteza Eshraqi (the then-prosecutor of Tehran), and Ebrahim Raisi (the then-deputy prosecutor) to discuss with Hossein Ali Montazeri. According to an audio file released from this meeting, Montazeri referred to the 1988 massacre as a historical crime and stated: 'In my opinion, the greatest crime committed in the Islamic Republic from the beginning of the revolution until now has been done by you. In the future, you will be remembered as historical criminals.' In another part of this interview, PourMohammadi claimed that the 1980s were very different from today, asserting: 'The people were our defenders, they were on our side, and in fact, the demands of the people were more intense and they demanded harsher sentences.' He mentioned that during the executions, '30 committees' were active in Iran, each consisting of three to five members, and stated that he was 'not responsible for this work and was not part of the security team.' However, this presidential candidate continued by saying: 'Many have been pardoned by him.' The former Minister of Justice discussed the political prisoners of 1988 and what is referred to as the 'minute-long trials,' stating: 'Our audience was emotional, and blood had clouded their vision. We would say two or three times, sir, madam, the statement you are making must be executed according to your previous sentence.' Regarding his involvement and invitation to these committees, he claimed that at that time, people were 'angry' about the actions of the Mojahedin-e Khalq, which they called 'great crimes,' and since the officials were afraid of 'extremism,' they invited him and told him to 'control a bit so that there would not be extremism.' PourMohammadi further stated: 'If the regime officials had the experiences of today at that time, they would have made arrangements to significantly reduce the margins of this action.' However, he emphasized that 'decisive and serious action certainly has its consequences.' This presidential candidate had also stated on June 15 in a television program that the Mojahedin-e Khalq intended to establish a government with the participation of those he called 'prisoners and others and their supporters' after the operation known as 'Eternal Light.' 'Eternal Light' was an operation carried out by the Mojahedin-e Khalq six days after Iran accepted UN Resolution 598 regarding a ceasefire with Iraq. Human rights activists say that the Islamic Republic executed these prisoners without any legal process, and they had no new charges against them. Official Iranian authorities have not yet provided a clear response regarding these executions and have not taken responsibility for them. Ebrahim Raisi previously described these executions as an action in 'defense of human rights.'