Tajzadeh's Call for the Government to Apologize to the Nation for the 1988 Executions

Mostafa Tajzadeh, a reformist political activist, condemned the retrial and mass executions of prisoners in 1988, stating that these executions were a violation of the country's legal standards. This member of the Central Council of the Participation Party added that 'the government can heal the wounds caused by these executions by apologizing to the nation and reforming the judicial system to make such atrocities impossible in the future.' Tajzadeh made this statement on Saturday (August 13) in a note on his Facebook page, in connection with the recent release of an audio file of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri condemning these executions. He expressed his apologies to the families of the executed, including the survivors of victims who were not members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq. He wrote that the release of this audio file has revealed 'bitter truths about the mass executions' and that 'the Islamic Republic owes an apology and forgiveness to their families.' In another part of his note, this reformist political activist examined the roles of the Mojahedin-e Khalq and the Islamic Republic in promoting 'violence' in Iran and called for 'learning from the past' and striving for 'national reconciliation.' Mostafa Tajzadeh served as Deputy Minister of Culture in Mir Hossein Mousavi's government and as Deputy Minister of Interior in Mohammad Khatami's administration. He was arrested after the 2009 elections and was released from prison this June after seven years. The release of the audio file of Ayatollah Montazeri's remarks about the 1988 executions has faced criticism and strong reactions from some figures within the Islamic Republic. Ali Khamenei, the grandson of Ruhollah Khomeini, Mohsen Rezai, Hossein Mousavi Tabrizi, and Mohammad Ali Ansari are among those who reacted to this audio file and its content. Each of these individuals has, in some way, defended the 1988 executions and condemned Montazeri's statements regarding these executions. The Ministry of Intelligence also issued an order to remove the audio file from Hossein Ali Montazeri's website one day after its release, and the Special Clerical Court summoned Ahmad Montazeri to this court. Mr. Montazeri confirmed the news of his summons to the Special Clerical Court and stated that he 'went to the Special Clerical Court in Qom on Saturday morning, August 13, and answered questions for three hours.' He told Radio Farda that one of the issues raised during the interrogation session was 'the disclosure of state secrets.' The topic of the 1988 executions is one of the issues that officials of the Islamic Republic rarely speak about. Just a few months after the end of the Iran-Iraq War, in August 1988, thousands of prisoners, from the Mojahedin-e Khalq to leftist and Marxist groups, were executed in Iranian prisons, an event referred to as the 1988 massacre. According to Ayatollah Montazeri, Ayatollah Khomeini personally ordered the execution of 'those who insisted on their position of hypocrisy in prisons across the country.' Many of those executed were buried anonymously in mass graves at the Khavaran cemetery. Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the parliament, commented on the 1988 massacre in Iranian prisons, stating that 'if the Imam had that harsh approach towards the Mojahedin-e Khalq prisoners in 1988, it was due to a jurisprudential discussion,' asserting that this massacre was related to 'the issue of moharebeh (waging war against God).' In this context, the Minister of Justice acknowledged 'serious problems' in the health conditions of prisons, defending the 1988 executions in response to the audio file of Montazeri. Alam al-Huda called for decisive action against Ahmad Montazeri due to the release of the audio file. The Mojahedin-e Khalq organization also reacted following the release of Ayatollah Montazeri's audio file.