Following the twelve-day war with Israel, as the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei retreated to an underground bunker, he reappeared on Wednesday, July 16, for the second time in a week, during a meeting with the country’s judiciary officials. Observers had expected him instead to appear alongside commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and intelligence services, some of whose top-ranking members had been killed in recent strikes.
In a sweeping statement, Khamenei lumped together the Resistance Units affiliated with the MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq), monarchists, and “thugs,” declaring:
“Their calculation was the following: after attacks on critical centers and the loss of certain key regime figures, the regime would be weakened. That’s when the dormant cells (Resistance Units) of the hypocrites [a derogatory term used for the MEK], monarchists, mercenaries, and thugs would be activated to bring down the regime.”
This direct reference to the Resistance Units, made in front of top judicial officials, raises concerns about a possible wave of widespread repression.
Earlier, on Tuesday, July 7, the Fars News Agency—close to the IRGC—published an editorial titled: “Why Should We Repeat the 1988 Executions?”
In the article, the mass execution of political prisoners during the summer of 1988 (at the end of the Iran-Iraq war), 90% of whom were MEK members, is praised as “one of the Islamic Republic’s most brilliant achievements.” The author concluded:
“It appears that now is the time to repeat this historic and successful experience.”
The mass executions of prisoners in the summer of 1988 have been described by the UN Special Rapporteur as a “crime against humanity.”
On Wednesday, July 10, Saeed Massouri, one of Iran’s longest-held political prisoners—nicknamed “the legend of resistance”—who has spent 25 years in prison without a single day of leave, was violently removed from his cell to be transferred to an undisclosed location. His fellow inmates immediately protested the brutal operation, forcing the guards to return him temporarily to his cell.
In a message sent from prison, Massouri declared:
“This abduction disguised as a transfer is not just about me. It is part of a broader plan of repression and a prelude to new executions—just like in 1988.”
He added:
“We must not allow another massacre to happen in silence and indifference. This time, the world must hear: a crime is being committed—and resistance is underway.”
Ten UN Special Rapporteurs, alarmed by the possibility of another massacre similar to that of 1988, stated on July 4:
“Since the ceasefire, the world is closely watching how Iranian authorities treat their own population. This will be a crucial test of the country’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law.”
They warned:
“Iran must not allow history to repeat itself by reverting to the same repressive patterns that devastated its society—especially after the Iran-Iraq war.”
According to available data, about 5,000 detainees are currently on death row in Iran.
Is history about to tip into yet another tragedy?
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