1981-1982 Iran Massacres

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Between June 1981 and March 1982, the government of Iran carried out the largest political massacre in the country's history. This took place as part of the Iranian Cultural Revolution decreed by Ruhollah Khomeini on 14 June 1980, with the intent of "purifying" Iranian society of non-Islamic elements.^[1][2] The killings and executions targeted thousands of political and religious dissidents, as well as critics, and is regarded a major crime against humanity.^[3][4][5]

The massacre was carried out under the cover of the Iranian Cultural Revolution. Initiated by an order from Ayatollah Khomeini on June 14, 1980, the revolution aimed to "purify" higher education by removing Western, liberal, and leftist elements, leading to the closure of universities, the banning of student unions, and violent occupations of campuses. During this period, Shi’a clerics imposed policies to Islamize Iranian society, including mandatory hijabs for women, the expulsion of critical academics, the suppression of secular political groups, and the persecution of intellectuals and artists.^[6][7][8][9]

These measures sparked large-scale protests across the country. On June 15, 1981, the National Front (Iran) and other secular opposition groups publicly criticized a proposal to Islamify the criminal justice system, prompting Ayatollah Khomeini to issue a fatwā, which led to the mass arrest of hundreds of protesters and critics.^[10][11] On June 20, 1981, the largest anti-government protest in Iran to date took place, organized by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran in response to the widely disputed impeachment of President Abolhassan Banisadr. Reports suggest that dozens of protesters were shot and killed in the streets that day.^[12] This day marked the beginning of a wave of killings and executions led by the Islamic government.^[13] The massacre stands as one of the most significant atrocities perpetrated by the Iranian government since the 1979 Revolution.^[14]

During this period the government carried out coordinated attacks against the civilian population through a state policy aimed at eliminating groups that were viewed as a threat.^[15][16]

Research carried out by the Rastyad Collective documents over 3,500 executions in 85 different cities. The research includes the deaths of hundreds of minors, as well as burial sites. Speaking at an event organized by the University of Amsterdam and the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Javid Rahman, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, said that research on the 1981 Massacre was key to understanding the connections between the Iranian regime's historical atrocities and its current human rights violations.^[17][18]