The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) have published an article with the reaction of Mrs Maryam Rajavi following the cruel circumstances surrounding the execution of a large number of Sunni prisoners in Gohardasht Prison. She called it “an appalling crime against humanity” and sent her sincere condolences to the families of the victims, their families and the people of Iran.
A huge number of Sunni prisoners were hanged on the morning of 2nd August at Gohardasht Prison, in Karaj. The families of the victims believe that at least 20 people have been executed. The NCRI report that “prison authorities declared a state of emergency, disconnected all telephone booths and prevented prisoners from referring to the prison’s dispensary”. They also state that the regime’s Judiciary had told the families of prisoners that they had time until 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon to visit their children in prison for the final time. However, the Ministry of Intelligence contacted them before they arrived to say that they should go to the Coroner’s office in Kahrizak to receive the bodies of their children.
One of the Sunni prisoners that was executed is Shahram Ahmadi. In April 2009 he was arrested and wounded by intelligence agents. He lost a kidney and part of his intestine and suffered through torture for 43 months while in solitary confinement. During this time he became ill with various conditions and lost a large part of his hearing. He was sentenced to death in October 2012 for the charge of Moharebeh, or waging war on God. The NCRI point out that his younger brother, Bahram Ahmadi (who was under 18 years old at the time of his arrest), was executed in Ghezel Hessar Prison in January 2012 with five other Sunni political prisoners.
Rajavi called on the people of Iran, the youth in particular, to protest against the barbaric crimes and to show their support to the relatives of the victims. She also called on Shiite and Sunni clergies around the world to make their voice heard in the aftermath of this “major atrocity” and urged them to denounce Ali Khamenei who she calls “the great enemy of the people of Iran and the region”, for the anti-human and anti-Islamic crimes he has committed.
She added: “The mullahs’ anti-human regime carried out the mass execution of our Sunni brothers on the anniversary of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran. They are trying in vain to contain the volatile social atmosphere and popular protests by terrorizing the public.”
Rajavi said that the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran is the largest crime like this since World War II. The crimes committed over the past 37 years are all crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide. “And how the international community reacts to these crimes is its great test,” she added.
She emphasised that now is the time for the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Security Council “to end their silence and bring the record of the Iranian regime’s crimes before the International Criminal Court”. She said that Ali Khamenei, other leaders of the regime and of course the direct perpetrators of these crimes must be brought to justice.
