Remembrance of the 1988 Prison Massacre

Culture of origin: Iranian · Historical

Holiday sources: Iran

On Khomeini's order, between late July and September 1988 the Islamic Republic forcibly disappeared and extrajudicially executed thousands of political prisoners and dumped their bodies in unmarked mass graves. Amnesty International puts the minimum toll at around 5,000 and calls the killings crimes against humanity. Officials tied to the "death commissions" have never faced justice, and the authorities bulldoze grave sites and forbid commemorations.