World Athletes’ Letter to the UN Secretary-General Addressing the 1988 Massacre of Iranian Athletes

Massacre of Iranian Political Prisoners
Iranian officials brazenly claim Khomeini’s fatwa still stands against The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran), dissidents.

Massacre of Iranian Political Prisoners

Thirty-three years ago, in the summer of 1988, three to four-member commissions known as “Death Commissions” killed 30,000 political prisoners across Iran in a matter of weeks after quick interrogations that lasted only a few minutes.

Iranian people’s movement for democracy

This was in response to a fatwa issued by Ruhollah Khomeini, the creator of Iran’s authoritarian theocracy, who had hijacked the Iranian people’s movement for democracy and freedom against the monarchy.

Many of the prisoners had already served their sentences or had been kept in prison after they had completed them, but Khomeini wrote in his fatwa with unrivaled cruelty: “All prisoners who remained loyal to the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran), regardless of their stage of imprisonment, had to be executed.” More than 90% of those killed in the 1988 massacre were MEK members or supporters.

1988 Iran massacre
(PMOI / MEK Iran) and (NCRI): The International investigation into the 1988 massacre of 30,000 Iranian political prisoners, mainly members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran).

Thirty-three years after the crime against humanity

Thirty-three years after the crime against humanity, which jurists regard as genocide, the majority of the masterminds and perpetrators of this grave crime continue to enjoy impunity, retain the highest positions in the system, and carry out executions.

On the command of the same persons who carried out the 1988 massacre, more than 1,500 demonstrators were killed during the November 2019 insurrection. Ebrahim Raisi, the regime’s new president, was on the Tehran Death Commission and has a long history of executions and repression both before and after the massacre.

images/stories/2019/December/Iran-protests-Over_1500_Killed-504-New-Names-Released-by-MEK.jpg
(PMOI / MEK Iran) and (NCRI): Reuters confirmed in a special report on December 23, 2019 about the deadly crackdown on November nationwide protests in Iran the death toll of 1500 that was announced by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) on December 15, 2019.

Amnesty International’s secretary-general

In 2019, one of the henchmen implicated in the 1988 massacre was apprehended in Sweden, and his trial began in August 2021 in Stockholm.

Several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and notable international human rights experts, have emphasized the importance of holding Ebrahim Raisi accountable for the massacre in 1988.

“That Ebrahim Raisi has risen to the presidency instead of being investigated for crimes against humanity such as murder, enforced disappearance, and torture is a grim reminder that impunity reigns supreme in Iran,” said Amnesty International’s secretary-general.

Amnesty International called on the international community to publicly condemn the Iranian regime for the deterioration of human rights in the country.
(PMOI / MEK Iran) and (NCRI): Amnesty International drew attention to the Iranian regime’s treatment of dissidents in the country and the shocking number of enforced disappearances that are taking place.

Silence and inactivity in the face of genocide

Silence and inactivity in the face of genocide and crimes against humanity committed at the end of the twentieth century encouraged the crime to be repeated and intensified. It is past time for the United Nations Security Council, Human Rights Council, and other relevant UN entities to intervene.

We demand that the United Nations immediately begin an investigation into the 1988 massacre, which was unquestionably the largest political massacre since World War II, and refer the case to the UN Security Council for accountability and trial of the massacre’s masterminds and perpetrators, including Raisi and Ali Khamenei.

(NCRI) and (PMOI / MEK Iran): Silence and inactivity in the face of genocide and crimes against humanity committed at the end of the twentieth century encouraged the crime to be repeated and intensified.

Letter of 100 Iranian athletes

In a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General, more than 100 Iranian athletes, including world champions, participants in the Olympics, and national teams in football, wrestling, karate, judo, kung fu, taekwondo, gymnastics, sailing, weightlifting Basketball, marathon, athletics, boxing, volleyball, fencing, shooting, tennis and ping pong, drew his attention to the massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners in 1988. In their letter, they underlined how the regime targeted Iranian athletes.

The signatories of the letter to the UN Secretary-General:

Soolmaz Abooali, world champion in karate
Angelica Parvardeh, European Gymnastics runner-up from Sweden
Mohammad Ghorbani, winner of the world wrestling gold medal
Moslem Eskandar Filabi, wrestling champion of Iran and Asia – winner of 17 medals in international competitions
Hassan Naeb Agha, a member of the Iranian national soccer team in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina
Bahram Movadat, member of the Iranian national soccer team in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina
Asghar Adibi, a member of the Iranian national soccer team
Manouchehr Arastopour, rowing champion of Iran and Sweden
Abbas Novin Roozgar, member of the Iranian national soccer team
Edwin Tehrani won the gold medal in weightlifting in Sweden
Ardeshir Asghari, world wrestling champion
Afshin Shahverdi, world judo champion
Reza Tahouni, Thai boxing world champion
Maral Abooali, winner of silver medal in women’s karate in the world
Firoozeh Ojaq, a member of the Iranian national basketball team
Naser Gholi Ardalan, kung fu champion – Italy
Kazem Gholami, Iranian national wrestler
Mehdi Ghazal, member of the Iranian national soccer team
Amir Hossein Eghbali, a player in the first division of Belgian basketball clubs
Iraj Derakhshan Marathon Runner
Haji Mohammad Azadan, member of Iran youth national soccer team
Hassan Heidari, Asian Youth Weightlifting Champion, member and coach of the Dutch weightlifting team
Dariush Abdul Maleki, Danish Judo Champion
Saeed Ipakchi, Iranian track and field champion
Ali Rahimi, wrestling champion in Norway
Ali Sajjadi, member of Iran youth national soccer team
Glayel Parvardeh, Gymnist – Sweden
Majid Moshtari, member of Iran youth national soccer team
Mohammad Reza Yousefali, member of Iran youth national soccer team
Neda Amani, soccer goalkeeper and coach of Swiss women’s soccer clubs
Farrokh Farrokhyar, volleyball
Ali Zahedi, Soccer
Nima Afshari, Ping pong
Bahram Khatib-Shahidi, Soccer
Sohrab Shirali, Wrestler , referee and Coach of Wrestling
Farzad, soccer
Alireza-Sirousi, Referee & judge Boxing
Fred Parsay, soccer
Ahmad Moeinimanesh, Basketball
Abbas Ameri, Chess
Ali Asghar Vandaie, Chess, Soccer
Mehran Ebrahimi, Kung Fu
Mohammadreza Alizadeh, Soccer
Toraj shahabi, Soccer
Babak Dadvand, Marathon Runner
Gholamhossein Bahadoor, wrestling
Hassan Rezai, Soccer
Khalil Khani, Wrestling, Track & Field
Mohammad Sadeghpour, Soccer
Masoud Sadeghpour, Wrestling
Mirtaher Hassanyn, Volleyball- Ping Pong
Behrouz m, Soccer
Omid, Taekwondo
Nasser Abkari, Shooting
Mosayyeb jalali, Wrestling
Glayol, Soccer
Sadollah Falahati, Wrestling
Golpar Parvardeh, Gymnastics
Gabriel Richards, Boxing
S Zanjani, Aikido, soccer
Khosrow Parvardeh, Soccer
Mohammad Darafarin, soccer
Aydin Arjang, Soccer
Marjam Parvardeh, Basketball
Hossein Yarandpour, Soccer
Shahram Homayounfar, soccer
Yousef Mahdavi, Soccer
Roxana Sadeghpour, Soccer
Samir Ghanai, Soccer & Karate
Robin Tehrani, Soccer
Behrang sarkhosh, Kyokushinkai
Behzad Allahyari, Weightlifting
Karim Akbari, weightlifting
Siamak, Soccer
Mohammad Behrouzi, Soccer Referee
Touraj Mohammadi, Voetbal
Omid Hatamian, wrestling
Hossein Fadakar, Soccer
Ben Janloo, soccer
Sivan Barzegar, Taekwondo
Ismail Pashapour Fencing
Ismail Mohaddes, soccer
Reza Mohammadi, soccer
Khosrow Alikhani, soccer
Jamshid Heydari, soccer
Bahman Abedini Taekwondo
Majid Rahimi Taekwondo
Masoud Ipekchi Athletics
Majid is a football customer
Jamshid Azari, soccer
Asghar Saadi, boxing
Elias Khademi, soccer
Christopher Kulp, Cross-Fit; Olympic Weightlifting
Jack Iacovangelo, Gymnastics
Alex, Weightlifting
Henrik Fjeldheim, Soccer
Steve Parkinson, Judo
Mike Caveney, Judo
William Svensson, Gymnastics
Madeleine Danielsson, Soccer
Selina, Gymnastics
Maria Alkhouri, Tennis
Valentina Baldelli, Gymnastics

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