Human rights advocates are warning that Iran may be laying the groundwork for a new wave of political executions following the war with Israel, drawing parallels to the 1988 mass killings of political prisoners.
In a letter to the United Nations, 301 rights defenders organized by Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) urged immediate action to stop what they described as an “escalating wave of political executions and entrenched impunity.”
“The risk of another mass atrocity, reminiscent of the 1988 massacre, is alarmingly real,” the letter read.
The warnings follow a series of troubling signals from Iranian authorities in the aftermath of the 12-day war with Israel in June.
Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, said Wednesday that about 2,000 people had been arrested during and after the conflict, with some detainees accused of collaborating with Israel potentially facing the death penalty.
“In our law, anyone who cooperates with a hostile state during wartime must be arrested and prosecuted,” he told state TV.
Re-run of a crime?
Iran’s IRGC-linked Fars News Agency has gone further, explicitly calling for mass executions “in the manner of 1988” for those allegedly aiding Israel through espionage or arms smuggling.
Earlier this month, UN experts also sounded the alarm, urging Iranian authorities to halt what they described as a post-war crackdown marked by executions, arbitrary detentions, and censorship.
In the summer of 1988, thousands of prisoners—many already serving sentences for dissent—were executed in secret after a fatwa by then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, following a surprise cross-border attack by the armed opposition group MEK from Iraq, just days after Iran accepted a UN ceasefire to end the eight-year war with its neighbor.
Amnesty International estimates the death toll at no fewer than 5,000.
Victims were buried in unmarked graves, and families were never formally notified. Iran has never acknowledged the full extent of the killings, while survivors and families continue to face harassment and denial of burial rights.
The most recent case involves Mahsa Shafiee, the 24-year-old sister of slain protester Parsa Shafiee, who was arrested by intelligence agents at her home in Yasuj, southwestern Iran, on Thursday, according to a source who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisals.
Eighteen-year-old Parsa was killed in November 2022, during the nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Zhina Amini over an alleged hijab law violation in September that year, which triggered the nationwide uprising known as the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement.
In addition to Shafiee's detention, her father was also summoned by the Revolutionary Guard's intelligence on the same day, according to former political prisoner and rights activist Foad Choobin.
“The Shafiee family is currently under severe pressure from security institutions and has been threatened not to share information about Mahsa’s situation,” he wrote on X Sunday, adding that Mahsa’s whereabouts are currently unknown.
Last Monday, Ehsan Khazaei, the brother of slain protester Erfan Khazaei, and his wife Neda Karegar were arrested in Tehran. According to Norway-based rights group Hengaw, more than 60 security agents stormed their residence, beat family members, and confiscated mobile phones. US-based rights group HRANA reported that the couple was later released on bail.
On June 23, Suleiman Qader Galwan, the brother of slain protester Abdulsalam Qader Galwan, was arrested in Oshnavieh, a city in West Azarbaijan province, following a raid by intelligence agents.
Ali Mohammadi, the father of slain protestor Shahriyar Mohammadi, was arrested on June 21 in Bukan, also in West Azarbaijan province, his daughter Asrin told Iran International.
Asrin said that her father was beaten during interrogation and lost consciousness, after which he was briefly hospitalized. Asrin added that her father is being denied independent legal representation.
On June 19, security forces also arrested Majid Naderkhani, whose son Matin was detained during the 2022 protests and shot dead months after release from prison.
In Yasuj, Feyzollah Azarnosh, the father of 18-year-old slain protester Pedram Azarnoosh, was arrested on June 18 and transferred to Yasuj Central Prison following questioning, according to a report by Hengaw.
That same day in Bukan, Karim Qaderpour, the father of protest victim Awat Qaderpour, was detained and taken to an undisclosed location.
Earlier this month, United Nations experts urged Iranian authorities to end a post-ceasefire crackdown marked by executions, mass arrests, and hate speech, warning that the country risks repeating past cycles of repression.
Last month, HRANA reported that 823 Iranian citizens were on political or security-related charges since the outbreak of the war.
According to the report, 286 people were detained for their online activities, including sharing content about Israel’s attack on Iran.
