Mothers of Khavaran
Source: Iran 1988
During the 1980s in Iran, several political prisoners were subject to mass executions and repression by the state. Summary mass executions executed in secrecy by the Islamic Republic authorities took place in a culture of impunity. Survivors came together to hold the state accountable, and among them, a group of mothers mobilized into what came to be known as the Mothers of Khavaran. Dedicated to seeking justice for the victims of mass and summary executions, these mothers were often pressured by the state to stay silent, and refused to comply over the three decades’ worth of efforts to seek justice and accountability for their loved ones.
The beginning
The Mothers of Khavaran came together organically as a community in around 1980-1981. Beginning as a gathering of survivors of those executed by the state in secrecy and buried in Khavaran Cemetry, the group came together to honour their loved ones en masse. As they met frequently and exchanged information and supported each other while waiting outside prisons for news of their loved ones and/or permission to visit those of them who were alive, they began to find a sense of community in each other.
When the collective of Mothers found that there was an increased pressure on the political prisoners, they began to engage in protests to step up their appeals and activities, too. Once, during a hunger strike by political prisoners in protest against the torture and poor conditions they faced, the mothers joined in and put more pressure on the state as well.
Collective Work
Between 1988 and 1989, there was a massacre where mass summary executions unfolded. The Mothers of Khavaran banded together as they entered a new stage in their activism.
A three-member body called the “Death Commission” determined those that would face these executions. In 1988, around 4000 prisoners were brought before the commission. Executions were given sanction by a secret order of the Supreme Leaders, Ayatollah Khomeini, to cleanse prisons of members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran or Monafeq (hypocrites) and leftist prisoners or Mohareb (combatants against god). While some suggest that the executions were a response to attacks carried out by the Mojahedin against the Islamic Republic, some survivors said that they were already planned in 1987. Many of the executed people were dumped into mass graves in Khavaran Cemetry, also called the “doomed land” by state authorities. Following these executions, family members were prevented from holding any events associated with grieving of mourning the loss of their loved ones.
Responding to this scale of violence, the Mothers of Khavaran continued to advocate for the release of all prisoners and warned the world of the massacres. In the meantime, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 598 calling for the end of the conflict between Iran and Iraq, which led Iran to disrupt regular family prison visits and withhold information on the prisoners and their whereabouts.
The Mothers of Khavaran mobilized among themselves, drawing support from a variety of quarters to search for family members and appeal to authorities. This resulted in the discovery of the mass graves in the Khavaran Cemetery throughout the year in 1988. As they discovered these graves, the mothers and their supporters documented their every finding with photographs of limbs and bodies of partially and fully buried victims. They then shared their findings at public gatherings and submitted written statements to a variety of authorities, including then UN Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar. They also tried to meet with UN Special Rapporteur Galindo Pohl to talk to him about the state of human rights abuse in Iran.
A Story of Subversion
Fighting many battles, the Mothers of Khavaran resisted state violence and documented one of the worst instances of human rights violations and genocides in history. Their persistence in the face of silencing, oppressive and repressive treatment, and harassment is an important story of collective organizing and mobilizing. They remained the foundational agents of change for themselves, inviting international support on their terms rather than welcoming any co-optation of their movement and efforts.
The coalition is also a powerful reflection of mobilizing on shared interests, despite differences in views, ideas, and ideologies. Their historic campaign of writing letters to Iranian and international authorities built a powerful documented memorial of the violence and told the world a truth that might never have surfaced if not for their efforts. Their commitment to actioning the recognition of state violence as the antithesis of justice is a significant example of centring accountability.
References
Barlow, R. (2018). Human Rights and Agents of Change in Iran. Palgrave Macmillan.
Ebadi, S. and Moaveni, A. (2007). Iran Awakening. Random House.
Justice for Iran (2015). The Unfinished Tale: The Mothers and Families of Khavaran: Three Decades of Pursuit of Truth and Justice.
