Reports indicate that the security forces of the Iranian regime have recently bulldozed a portion of Behesht-e Reza Mausoleum in Mashhad, which served as the burial site for political prisoners executed in the 1980s.
The recent demolitions in Mashhad began at the start of October this year and have continued since then.
While the policy of destroying the burial sites of executed political prisoners in Behesht-e Reza and Tapeh Salam Mashhad Cemetery has been on the security institutions’ agenda since 2015, it has intensified in recent days.
Similar measures have been taken in other cities, including Ahvaz, Tabriz, and Babol. In Ahvaz, mass graves containing the remains of 44 political prisoners, who were buried in a barren area three kilometers east of Behesht-e Abad cemetery in the city, were destroyed, and new constructions were erected to erase evidence of the crimes.
During the excavation of land at the end of Phase 2 of Padad Shahr and Bank Dar Boulevard, several bodies were found in a mass grave covered with cement. The security forces eventually concealed these graves, and the street-widening project was halted to hide their existence.
In the past, over 75 graves of individuals executed in 1988 and during the 1980s were destroyed in Wadi Rahmat Cemetery in Tabriz. The regime’s Ministry of Intelligence forces poured concrete and cement, more than 10 cm thick, to smooth the area and erase the traces of their massacre.
In Babol, the graves of many political prisoners executed in the 1980s, particularly in 1988, were destroyed by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and the Revolutionary Guards. Multi-story apartment buildings called Kotsar were constructed on a portion of these graves, and all these residential units were handed over to agents of the Revolutionary Guards and the regime’s police.
In recent years, Khavaran Cemetery in Tehran has become the burial place of Baha’is who passed away under coercion by the Ministry of Intelligence forces. Changing the layout of Khavaran Cemetery by creating new graves is a common regime tactic to hide the evidence of its crimes over the past four decades.
Historical Background:
During the 1980s, Iran experienced a period of intense political upheaval and ideological conflict following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The new regime, under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, sought to consolidate power and eliminate perceived threats to its authority. In this tumultuous context, thousands of individuals were targeted for political reasons and subsequently executed.
The summer of 1988 stands out as one of the darkest chapters in this period of Iranian history. It marked a concentrated wave of political executions, characterized by a brutal and systematic campaign against dissidents and opponents of the regime.
The main target of these executions were members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), which accounted for more than 90 percent of the victims. Many of the victims were executed merely for their political beliefs or affiliations.
The executions in the summer of 1988 were carried out with the explicit fatwa (religious decree) and approval of Ruhollah Khomeini, the first Supreme Leader the regime. Khomeini had appointed a special committee to oversee these mass executions. Ebrahim Raisi, who later became the president of the regime, was among the members of this “death committee.”
At least 30,000 political prisoners were executed during the massacre. Many of these executions took place in secret, and the bodies were often buried in unmarked mass graves, making it difficult for families to know the fate of their loved ones.
The events of the summer of 1988 have been widely condemned by human rights organizations and international communities as a gross violation of human rights and a crime against humanity. The destruction of grave sites and the efforts to erase the historical evidence of these events are seen as further attempts to suppress the truth and evade accountability for these crimes. The legacy of this period continues to cast a long shadow on Iranian politics and society, with many families still seeking justice and answers about the fate of their loved ones.
