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Ladies and gentlemen,
Friends,
When I speak of Iran, I do not speak only of
politics or repression—I think of the mothers who still search for
the graves of their children from 1988, and of the young Iranians
today who dare to dream of freedom despite knowing the cost.
Their struggle is not abstract; it is profoundly
human.
And it is our responsibility to ensure their
courage is not met with the world’s silence.
Iran stands at a crossroads—and so does the world.
A regime that once buried thousands in mass graves
now praises those killings as a ‘historic success.
The Iranian people have shown remarkable courage
and dedication in their struggle for freedom.
They deserve not only our respect, but our active
support in their effort to liberate themselves from tyranny.
Iranian society is ready for change. But the
regime, fearing this shift, is tightening its grip—escalating
repression to block the future its people demand.
From my work on the UN inquiry into North Korea, I
saw how states use terror as a system of rule. Iran is doing the
same: silencing dissent, spreading fear, clinging to power at any
cost."
On July 7, 2025, Fars News Agency—linked to the
Revolutionary Guard—praised the 1988 mass executions as a
“successful historical experience.” This was not just revisionism.
It was an open call for atrocity crimes. A warning that such horrors
could happen again. We must take it seriously.
The signs are clear. Iran’s authorities are
stepping up executions, torture, and forced relocations. This is not
random. It follows the same pattern that led to the 1988 massacre of
political prisoners. If the world stays passive, history will repeat
itself.
In recent weeks, two men—Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi
Hassani—were executed. Their crime: links to the opposition PMOI.
Their trials were shams. Their confessions were forced. Their deaths
were meant to crush dissent. Fourteen more prisoners now wait for
the same fate.
At the same time, the regime is erasing the past.
Tehran’s Deputy Mayor admitted that Section 41 of Behesht Zahra
Cemetery—where thousands of executed prisoners are buried—was
destroyed and turned into a parking lot. This is not just
desecration. It is an attempt to wipe out memory itself.
Why does this continue? Because of impunity. The
killers of 1988 were never punished. Many rose to the highest
offices of the state. That impunity is what emboldens the regime
today. It is, in effect, a license for future crimes.
We cannot let that stand. When the world looks
away, it tells perpetrators their crimes are allowed. Iran is now
testing that dangerous lesson in real time.
There are tools to respond. The UN’s Fact-Finding
Mission on Iran was created to investigate abuses. Its role is
urgent now. It must immediately expand its work to cover two points:
First, the IRGC’s incitement. The Fars News
editorial is not harmless commentary. It is direct incitement to
commit crimes against humanity.
Second, the current wave of executions and
repression. Arrests, sham trials, and death sentences are part of an
escalating plan of state killings.
In 1988, the world stayed silent. Thousands were
murdered. The warning signs were there, but ignored. Today, the
regime itself is broadcasting the warning signs.
Silence now would mean complicity. We have a duty
to act. Remembering the victims is not enough. We must break the
cycle of impunity. That means accountability. That means empowering
international bodies, starting with the Fact-Finding Mission, to
investigate and expose.
The lives of thousands depend on it. The
international community must stand with the Iranian people
now—before today’s repression turns into tomorrow’s massacre.
Oppression may last for a night, but it will be
washed away by justice at dawn.
Thank you.
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