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| Former French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner |
NCRI - Former French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has called for the formation of an international tribunal to prosecute officials of the mullahs’ regime for carrying out the massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners in Iran in the summer of 1988.
The overwhelming majority of the victims of the 1988 massacre were affiliated to the main Iranian opposition group People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK).
Dr. Kouchner on Saturday, September 3, addressed a seminar on the 1988 massacre held at the Iranian Resistance’s headquarters north of Paris.
“We now realize the result of the 1988 massacre. Some 33,000 people were killed,” Dr. Kouchner said.
“We absolutely need the creation of a specific court, to avoid being told that the massacres happened too long ago and that it's too late. … We need a specific court to judge the mullahs' crimes.”
Dr. Kouchner pointed out the mullahs’ regime continues to carry out mass executions in Iran.
“Nothing has changed since the [nuclear] agreement. … Everybody rushed to sign contracts in Tehran. And then we realized that we had signed the contracts with the Revolutionary Guards. We now realize that [Iran’s] economy is in the hands of the Revolutionary Guards,” he added.
Here is the full text:
[The full video is available on
YouTube]
Madame Rajavi, dear guests, allow me to speak French, because the translation is very good. I was listening to you people, and to your English, and... Je vais vous parler en français [I will speak in French].
You depicted me dear friends, as a human rights activist. After listening to you, after hearing, reading the documents you sent me, and after having heard Sir and Mrs., I wonder what were the human rights activists doing during all that time.
I know some are really brave. I know there have been people protesting, but only a few, not enough, when those abuses happened.
There is always this state policy I had to fight all my life, that makes it easier to leave the stones unturned, rather than turning them to see the blood that nourishes the earth. I know the state policy demands silence.
You said I was the French minister of Foreign Affairs, I'm aware of that. And the we realize we were wrong to keep quiet. And then we realize that the situation of the mullahs succeeding to the Shah of Iran wasn't quite clear.
Certainly this bearded old man with his thick eyebrows was presented as nice man who was gonna bring democracy back.
Certainly, the balance in the area was fragile, and it still is. But step by step, we forgot, we wanted to forget what was happening in Iran.
And there were other problems, there was the Iraq-Iran war, and there was the situation of all the protagonists of the region, and even from further countries, like the USA, or Europe, and the nearby countries. So we kept quiet.
Some protested. Some groups protested in the streets, but not many. And now, we realize the result of the 1988 massacre. 33,000 people.
And we wonder what the International Criminal Court in The Hague, or all the courts which were formed about specific massacres, in specific countries, like the Russell Tribunal and the tribunals about massacres in Rwanda, in Lebanon, etc. And we absolutely need the creation of a specific court, to avoid being told that the massacres happened too long ago and that's it's too late, there's prescription.
Because this will come up. We need a specific court to judge the mullahs' crimes. We need... Dear friends, I hear you applaud when I say something, but it's easy to applaud. But taking actions is harder. It's very difficult because the obstacles standing in our way... international community... we always refer to the international community. But what is it? What did the international community the UN do? I was for a long time a UN representative, and I was in charge of several countries.
The international community sadly, has to take into account influences and political stakes, and the balance of powerful countries. So, regarding this new court, every one of you, and your friends, will have to remind people of what happened from the 80s until this day, and announcing, like Mrs. Rajavi previously said, how many massacres happened last month, not only in 88. Last month. How many hangings? How many executions? Execution rates are calculated per capita, which a pretty gruesome statistic, well, Iran is at the top of the list. And it killed even more people since the signature of the agreement, between, not only the USA, but also Europe with Iran.
Those are the obstacles ahead of us. You know, I was talking with some mujahedin friends, and we all want stability. We all want stability, in the most unstable region in the world, the Middle East. Everything that influences just a little... and it's true that these days, with everything happening in Syria, in Iraq in Turkey and nearby, and the fight between Sunnites and Shiites. Because it's happening. Saudi Arabia exists too. It exists, and during your conference in Le Bourget, a Saudi speaker explained things pretty well. Some can. All these obstacles will always be there, ahead of us.
So if we demand a tribunal, and we have to, and I'm counting a lot on Hillary Clinton's win to make her join our fight. I hope I'm not wrong. I know I'm not wrong. So, go for it! He seems to agree, so... I worked for a long time with Hillary Clinton, and... I know she will be the next president of the United States, and I hope that the general configuration will move towards human rights, and the end of massacres.
But, obstacles are abundant, I repeat myself, and it's a pretty defensive and pessimistic message I admit it. But in spite of these obstacles, in spite of the ongoing war, in spite of the Turkish offensive, in spite of the heroic fight of some Kurds, and I learned that 25 of them had just been executed in Iran. Kurd people. In spite of all that, we need to persevere to shed light on this massacre. We need to know that this religious power, this theocracy we hate, is up to. This mix between the good Lord and the Republic, or so-called Republic. Or at least, shed light on the political power and the religion, the inequality between men and women, everything we hate.
All of this has terrible daily consequences on the Iranian population. Nothing changed since the agreement, and I'm not saying I was against it. Because if someone ask you to choose between a possibility of peace, or a possibility of nuclear war, obviously we prefer peace. In spite of all that, we need to know the daily reality. Everybody rushes to sign contracts in Tehran. And then we realize we signed contracts with the Revolutionary Guards.
We realize that the economy is in the hands of the Revolutionary Guards. In spite of all that, or maybe thanks to all that, human rights activists who were feeling down lately because, you have to realize, being a human rights activist isn't trendy anymore. Doing protests in Paris because of the massacres in Syria or elsewhere isn't in vogue anymore. Sadly, there hasn't been any big manifestation, and sadly, the way some European countries including mine, didn't offer shelter to refugees, adds even more sadness, to the human rights activists. In spite of all this, we need to use this opportunity because it's something we owe to the people who died.
They're the reason we have to act once more, and they won't let us forget all the human rights violations. Their sacrifice is a reminder, their names shall be repeated, and we shall say each time, that we owe our hope to them. Thank you for not forgetting them, and thank you for reminding us of the necessity of this everyday battle we have to give in the name of those who died, but a battle we also have to fight against ourselves. We can't let the human rights idea die.
Thank you, Madame.
Background:
In the summer of 1988, the Iranian regime summarily and extra-judicially executed tens of thousands of political prisoners held in jails across Iran. The massacre was carried out on the basis of a fatwa by the regime’s then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini.
The facts:
• More than 30,000 political prisoners were massacred in Iran in the summer of 1988.
• The massacre was carried out on the basis of a fatwa by Khomeini.
• The vast majority of the victims were activists of the opposition PMOI (MEK).
• A Death Committee approved all the death sentences.
• Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, a member of the Death Committee, is today Hassan Rouhani’s Justice Minister.
• The perpetrators of the 1988 massacre have never been brought to justice.
• On August 9, 2016, an audio tape was published for the first time of Khomeini’s former heir acknowledging that that massacre took place and had been ordered at the highest levels.
Source: NCRI, September 5, 2016
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