17 August 2024 – Brussels, Belgium – In a letter today to the leadership of the European Union, the International Committee in Search of Justice (ISJ), supported by over 4,000 parliamentarians and dignitaries from across the Atlantic, called on them to respond decisively to the findings of a new United Nations report detailing extensive human rights violations in Iran.
The report, authored by Professor Javaid Rehman, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, published on 17 July 17, 2024, and before his mandate ended on 31 July, outlines systematic atrocities committed from 1981 to 1988, including the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in the summer of 1988, identified as a crime against humanity and genocide. This massacre, carried out on the orders of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and enforced by ‘Death Commissions’, remains one of the most heinous mass murders in recent history. Shockingly, many involved in these commissions continue to hold senior government positions in Iran.
“Those who committed crimes against humanity in the 1980s and beyond must be held accountable, and impunity within the Islamic Republic of Iran must come to an end. Based on this UN Report it is now incumbent on the international community, in particular the EU, to take concrete actions to ensure that the perpetrators of these documented human rights violations and crimes against humanity are held to account. We urge you to take immediate action to ensure Professor Rehman’s recommendations are implemented,” the ISJ wrote in its letter to EU leaders.
The ISJ urged the European Union to champion international accountability and endorse concrete measures to address these crimes. Specifically, the ISJ requests that the EU support the inclusion of a pivotal paragraph in the upcoming UN General Assembly Third Committee resolution on Iran, emphasizing the need for accountability for the crimes detailed in Professor Rehman’s report.
“Now more than ever, it is crucial for the European Union and the international community to take a stand against the gross human rights violations in Iran,” the ISJ letter added. “We owe it to the victims and their families to ensure that those responsible for these crimes against humanity are held accountable.”
The ISJ remains committed to advocating for justice and human rights and calls on the EU and international leaders to act swiftly in response to the UN’s findings.
