Iran: Treatment of members of the Mojahedin during the early period of the revolution and now
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IRN4811 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iran: Treatment of members of the Mojahedin during the early period of the revolution and now, 1 March 1990, IRN4811, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aaa82e.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information on the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran is compiled from previous responses.
The Mojahedin ideology has been transformed since the organization's inception in the early 1960s. Ideological differences among the membership resulted in splits in the organization. The leadership of the largest group (People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, PMOI) lives in exile in Paris. The Islamic Republic of Iran persuaded the French government to close the offices of the Mojahedin in Paris in June 1986. [Ervand Abrahamian, Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin, (London: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd., 1989), p. 258.] The following information concerning the Mojahedin refers to the problems between the Mojahedin and the Iranian government. For a more complete understanding of the Mojahedin, refer to a book by Ervand Abrahamian, Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin (London: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd., 1989), which details the development and experiences of the organization.
Membership in or support of political opposition movements is one of the 109 crimes punishable by death in Iran. [Human Rights Internet Reporter, September to November 1984, vol. 10: 1 & 2, p. 146.] The People's Mojahedin Organization (Mujaheddin e-Khalq - the People's Holy Warriors) [ Henry Degenhardt, Revolutionary and Dissident Movements, London: Longman Group UK Ltd., 1988, p. 164-165.] is one of the political movements banned by the government. In a book published by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran in September 1982 it is noted that on 20 June 1981,
"Khomeini ordered his armed guards to open indiscriminate fire on the innocent people, including women and children, who had taken part in the peaceful 500,000 strong demonstration called for by the Mojahedin." [ People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, At War with Humanity...A Report on the Human Rights Record of Khomeini's Regime, France, September 1982, from the preface, cited in Human Rights Internet Reporter, September to November 1983, p. 247.]
The report provides a detailed list of names of some of the individuals executed by the regime in the ensuing months, "over 95 percent of whom belonged to the Mojahedin". [ HRI Reporter, September to November 1983, p. 247.] Degenhardt (Revolutionary and Dissident Movements) also documents the execution of numerous Mojahedin members subsequent to the June demonstration and related bombings in Tehran. [ Degenhardt, p. 165.] The leadership of the Mojahedin relocated to France in 1981, though the struggle against pro-Khomeini revolutionary groups (members of Hezbollah and the Revolutionary Guard) continued. In 1986, the leadership moved to Baghdad, and according to Degenhardt, the Mojahedin "appeared no longer to pose any real threat to the regime". However, by 1987, the Mojahedin were actively destroying Revolutionary Guard bases and killing Revolutionary Guards. [Degenhardt, p. 165.]
Amnesty International has documented the executions of scores of Mojahedin during the 1980s. Between July 1988 and January 1989, the organization recorded the names of over 1000 political prisoners who have reportedly been executed. [Iran: Written Statement to the 45th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, AI Index: MDE 13/04/89, January 1989.] In a later report it revised this figure to over 1700.) [Amnesty International, Iran: Over 900 Executions announced in Five Months, AI Index: MDE 13/19/89, June 1989.] In its written submission to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Amnesty International asserts that the majority of the execution victims were supporters of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). [ Ibid.] The execution of PMOI supporters has continued in 1989, and in June 1989, Amnesty International reported that over 900 persons had been executed by the regime in the first five months of 1989. [ Amnesty International, Iran: Over 900 Executions Announced in Five Months, AI Index: MDE 13/19/89, June 1989.] Although many were charged with drug trafficking, others were political prisoners. Amnesty International believes that there is "overwhelming evidence that many hundreds of secret political executions" have taken place. [Ai Index: MDE 13/19/89.] In addition, on 15 September 1989 the organization released an Urgent Action bulletin alleging the execution of political prisoners on drug charges. [ Amnesty International, Iran: Political Prisoners Reportedly Executed as Drug Traffickers, AI Index: MDE 13/21/89, 15 September 1989.]
The PMOI also documents thousands of executions of its supporters and members. In Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin, pages 225-226 contain a table of 8968 "Mojahedin Martyres" killed during the period 1981-1985.
Amnesty International reports a large number of political executions in Iran during the last year. Between July 1988 and February 1989, Amnesty International recorded the names of over 1,700 reported execution victims; more than 900 persons were executed between January and May 1989. [ Amnesty International, Fear of Execution, AI Index: MDE 13/11/89, 10 February 1989; Over 900 Executions Announced in Five Months, AI Index: MDE 13/19/89, June 1989.] By the end of August 1989, the government announced that 851 persons had been executed for drug-related offenses out of a total of more than 1,200 executions during 1989. [ Amnesty International, Iran: Mass Executions of Drug Traffickers Continue, AI Index: MDE 13/20/89, 24 August 1989.]
On 19 August 1989, 79 persons were executed on drug charges, however, Amnesty International received allegations that there were persons executed for their political beliefs (supporters of groups opposed to the government of Iran) among the drug traffickers. [ Amnesty International, Iran: Political Prisoners Reportedly Executed as Drug Traffickers, AI Index: MDE 13/21/89, 15 September 1989.] Part of the recent upsurge in the execution of political prisoners is attributed to the interior minister, Mohtashemi, who allegedly ordered the execution of a number of political prisoners who had escaped execution in the past. [ Gwynne Dyer.]
