The list of the victims of mass execution of the political prisoners by the Islamic republic of Iran in 1988

 

Notes on the last, revised and completed edition according to new evidences

 

During the last year, we received a great number of e-mails from the families, friends and ex-inmates of the political prisoners executed in 1988. Their message, beyond the sympathies, provided us with much valuable information and evidences to up-to-date the list of the victims. We feel obliged to present you the following notes about these information and hour we proceeded to complete the list:

 

1- The Islamic regime has not so far recognized officially its mass execution of the political prisoners in 1988, and has not published the list of the victims. In these circumstances, it is the testimonies, evidences and information from various sources that would make the list more documented and reliable, and would add to its authenticity before the human rights organizations and international instances. This was our objective from the beginning of this work.

     Since the publication of our latest report, the death of other 127 victims in the existing list has been attested by their families, friends or ex-inmates. We thank them for their help in this respect. We would like to remind you that our method of work includes printing, numbering, classification and filing of every letter, containing the new information, received during the year. At the end of the year, we complete the list and we add the letter "w", in the last column of the table, for each name of victim whose death has been attested by the witnesses. For example, the numbers "2" and "to" in front of the name of MOINI CHAGHERVANDI, Hebatollah (Homayoun), indicate that his execution has been testified by two friends or members of the family.

 

2- Of all the mails received, 53 were related to the correction and completion of the list. In one of these, for example, we read that: "In the list of executed prisoners in 1988, there is a family name of "OMRANI" whom I knew. His first name is Behzad. He was a sympathizer of the Fedaian (Minority) organization, but you have put him in your list as a member of the Moujahedin organization. He was born in Isphahan." Another one, whom we call witness "22", has written: "I am one of the relatives of Farideh RAZIAN. Her age has been registered 35 years in your list, but she was born on 22 March 1959. She was post-graduate student of foreign languages and was arrested in 1981. Send me an e-mail if you are interested in more information."

 

3- On the basis of information we received, the names of 17 prisoners were removed from the existing list. In some cases, we learned that the prisoners have fortunately escaped from the mass execution. In the other cases, we were informed that the person in question was killed under the torture or committed suicide under the pressures in prison, or that he (she) was among the political prisoners executed in 1981, and not in the year 1988. One friend, the witness "K", who has written to attest the execution of some of the victims, has added that: "I was in Evin prison from 1985 to 1989 and I studied thoroughly your list…Ashraf DANESHGAR, a sympathizer of the Fedaian (Majority) was not executed in the summer of 1988, after she learned that some of her relatives have been already executed…Soheila DARVISHKOHAN a sympathizer of the Fedaian (Majority) committed suicide because she was sentenced to be flogged each time that she refused to attend daily prayers…".

 

4- During the last year, according to evidences, 18 new names are added to the list. Thus, unfortunately, the list of mass execution of political prisoners in 1988 has increased to 4485 victims. One of the witnesses, witness "T", who has provided us with the details of a new victim, namely : "Seyed Mahmoud MOUSSAVIAN DEHKORDI, born on 1962, arrested on 1985, sentenced for 5 years of imprisonment, executed on 1988 in the prison of Shahrekord…" has added that :" I hope for the days when nobody in Iran would lose his (her) life for his (her) political beliefs and all of us would solve our differences of opinion in a civilized manner."  

 

5- Some of the mails, apart from the information about the list, contained the observations and reminiscences of the authors, which could shed some light on this tragic event. For example, military hospital. I learned from the people who came there for treatment that during a few nights the corpses of the executed people were carried in cattle trucks to the office of forensic medicine…" We ask all the families and friends to send us their memories of those horrible days, as well as the letters, photographs and testaments of the executed political prisoners, which would help to complete all aspects of this case and to put it before the judgment of public opinion, history and independent juridical instances. In this way, we can expect finally the punishment of all the responsible of this mass execution, and hope that we would never again witness such a terrible crime.

 

6- The books written by former political prisoners, and especially by those who have escaped the execution in 1988, have also been used as the sources of information for the completion of this list.

 

We would like to thank you again for your help and cooperation, and remind you that our work on the list and on this case is not going to stop. So we are still expecting more information, more documents, and more help from you

                  Batoul AZADEH- Banafsheh AZARKOLAH

Iran_a500@yahoo.fr

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