Mothers of the martyred protesters of the 2019 uprisings in Iran have joined together to campaign for the boycott of the June 18 sham elections in Iran. 

The mothers recorded a video in order to tell the people not to vote for the regime which so cruelly took the lives of their children as well as 1500 others who took part in the November 2019 nationwide protests.

In an open letter to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, more than 150 former UN officials and human rights experts called for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into the 1988 mass extrajudicial executions and forced disappearances in Iran. The letter reiterates the devastating impact that the 1988 massacre has had on the families of the victims and the Iranian society. It reads in part, “We appeal to the UN Human Rights Council to end the culture of impunity that exists in Iran by establishing a Commission of Inquiry into the 1988 mass extrajudicial executions and forced disappearances. We urge High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet to support the establishment of such a Commission.”

According to recent reports, the Iranian regime is on the verge of implementing plans to destroy the sites of mass graves in Khavaran Cemetery. The plans are part of a much larger pattern whereby the Iranian regime has been destroying evidence of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners that took place over several months.

Based on the information we received from Iran, Iranian authorities are pressuring Baha’i families to bury their loved ones in the Khavaran burial site, therefore, putting the mass grave site at further risk of destruction, tampering with vital forensic evidence, and continuing to commit crimes against humanity.

On April 19th, in a shameful act, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) elected Iran as its member for a four-year term from 2022 until 2026. The secret vote by the UN’s Economic and Social Council sparked outrage among human rights activists.