1981–1982 Iran Massacres

The 1981 Iran massacre was a religiously motivated, state-sponsored campaign of violence aimed at exterminating political and religious adversaries of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The victims included intellectuals, scientists, artists, socialists, social democrats, members and sympathizers of Mujahedin-e-Khalq, nationalists, liberals, monarchists, ethnic minorities, and followers of religious minorities such as the Bahá'í Faith.

Between June 1981 and March 1982, the government of Iran carried out the largest political massacre in the country's history. This took place as part of the Iranian Cultural Revolution decreed by Ruhollah Khomeini on 14 June 1980, with the intent of "purifying" Iranian society of non-Islamic elements. The killings and executions targeted thousands of political and religious dissidents, as well as critics. In July 2024, The Special Rapporteur published a landmark UN Report on the 1981 massacre and categorised the atrocity crimes committed in 1981 and 1982 as genocide and crimes against humanity. In this report, the Rapporteur called for the establishment of an independent and international accountability mechanism.