Voices Of The Middle East And North Africa

On August 10th, Hamid Nouri, a former prosecutor in Iran, went on trial in Sweden for his alleged role in the executions of thousands of political prisoners in Iran in 1988. According to the indictment brought by Swedish public prosecutors, Nouri is accused as part of the systematic execution of thousands of political prisoners in the summer of 1988. The historic trial against Nouri will hear testimonies from dozens of witnesses and it will be the first time that one of the worst crimes of the past 40 years in Iran will be examined in a court of law. In July 1988, the Islamic Republic of Iran agreed to bring an end to the brutal eight-year war with Iraq. Over the next two months, under the orders of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, political prisoners around the country were secretly brought before a tribunal panel that would later become known as the Death Commission. They were not told what was happening and did not know that one ‘wrong' answer concerning their faith or political affiliation would send t