Iran Focus
London, 18 Sep – As the international community seeks legal justice for the perpetrators of the massacre of members and sympathizers of PMOI/MEK in 1988, the government in Tehran seeks to destroy the graves of MEK martyrs killed in this criminal act.
Signs of this MEK genocide are being eliminated in several cities, including Ahvaz (southwestern Iran), Mashhad (northeast), Isfahan (center of Iran), Tabriz and Ardabil (northwestern), and others. Mass graves of MEK members are being destroyed, and family members are unable to pay tribute to their loved ones. In previous years, the families have shown respect by cementing the graves and removing the garbage.
At Vadi-e Rahmat Cemetery of Tabriz graves were destroyed under the pretext of carrying out construction projects. Supporters of the MEK posted photos and videos of the destruction on several places on the internet, including the Telegram Channel on September 11th, 2017.
The project was done under the supervision of Tabriz Civil Engineering Department, and the Cemetery Organization of Tabriz Municipality is the employer. The construction covers an area of 4500 square meters, total. Excavating operations are being completed.
The satellite TV channel of the Iranian resistance, ‘Simay Azadi’ released photos and videos on the destruction of graves. One of the supporters of the MEK who visited this location, reports that, “I went to the cemetery in which the MEK martyrs of the massacre of 1988 are buried. I took photos of the graves of townspeople but I could not find the graves of MEK martyrs. Nevertheless, I saw a mechanical excavator behind the cemetery amidst the tall trees where the MEK martyrs are buried.
As the people said, this excavator is operating to make roads.” He added,” The cemetery of MEK martyrs is exactly located behind these tall trees, as the supporters of the MEK released pictures of this area. They are currently destroying the cemetery.”
The Justice Seeking movement was formed to make the perpetrators of the 1988 massacre of MEK and non MEK affiliates accountable for the crime, and calls for the disclosure of secrets about the 1988 massacre. Answers to these questions are sought by the members of the Justice Seeking Movement:
1. What are the full names of MEK and non MEK affiliates who were executed?
2. How many MEK and non MEK affiliates were killed in each city and province?
3. Where their loved ones are buried and what is the address of mass graves?
4. If these participants are proud of their actions, why do they not reveal the names of the members of death committees in different provinces?
It is noteworthy that in June this year a Call for Urgent Action to prevent destruction of 1988 massacre evidence was made by Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in which it stated:
“During the past few days the administration in the city of Tabriz, northwest Iran, has begun a campaign of vandalizing graves of members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) executed back in the 1980s, especially those massacred during the summer of 1988. These now destroyed graves were in the Rahmat Valley Cemetery. To this point the graves of 75 MEK martyrs, including Akbar Choopani and Soraya Abolfat’hi, who was executed while pregnant, have been vandalized.
“Iranian intelligence has supervised measures placing 10 centimeters of cement and leveling the grounds in the cemetery to destroy all evidence of such a martyrs’ cemetery. They have also placed a sign reading, ‘Leveling the children’s block’ and installed a number of gravestones in the area where the cement has been poured, to prevent any sign of the gravesite destruction. Attached images provide signs of the machinery used, the vandalized gravestone, and various phases of cement pouring and the placing of new gravestones.
“Last month in Mashhad, northeast Iran, mass graves of PMOI/MEK martyrs in the Beheshte Reza cemetery were also vandalized.
In the city of Ahvaz, southwest Iran, city authorities have been widening a road near a cemetery in order to vandalize martyrs’ graves. Signs of tumbled bodies in a mass grave previously covered with cement were seen as the digging began in the area of phase 2 of Padadshahr and the Bankdar Boulevard in this city. Authorities quickly covered the mass grave with dirt and continued to widen the road.
“The Iranian Resistance calls on all international human rights organizations, especially the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Situation in Iran to condemn this inhumane act and take urgent action to prevent the destruction of such evidence of previous mass executions and massacre of political prisoners mainly MEK members, especially those of 1988. Iran’s ruling dictators must face justice for their crimes against humanity and 120,000 political executions.”
