Seyed Ali Khamenei
AKA: Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei
- Member of the Council of the Islamic Revolution (Dec 1978 - Jun 1980)
- Human Rights Violation: Shutting down universities and suppressing protesters (18 Apr 1980 - Jul 1980) read more
- Location
- (National)
- Rights Violated
- Right to education, Right to freedom of assembly, Right to freedom of expression
- Description
-
As a member of the Revolutionary Council, he had a key role in shutting down universities and the violent suppression of protesters, as well as the expulsion of students and professors from universities in a program called the "Cultural Revolution."
- Sources
Ali Khamenei's speech in Friday prayers about the need to purge universities, Kayhan newspaper, 20 April, 1980 https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Khamenei-2.pdf
"Mahnaz Motamedi Eternal Memory", Peykar Newspaper, No. 55, 20 May, 1980 https://www.iran-archive.com/sites/default/files/sanad/sazmane_peykar_-peykar_055.pdf
Statements and Reactions to the Execution of Ismail Narimisa, Ettela'at Newspaper,1 July, 1980, Page 11
- Human Rights Violation: Adoption of the Regulations of the Revolutionary Courts (17 Jun 1979) read more
- Location
- (National)
- Rights Violated
- Right to a fair trial
- Description
-
As a member of the Revolutionary Council, he has played a role in institutionalizing the unfair trials in the courts of the Islamic Republic, by participating in the adoption of the Regulations of the Revolutionary Courts on 17 June 1979.
- Sources
The text of the Regulations of the revolutionary courts and tribunals, approved on 17 June 1979, Justice for Iran Archive
https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Khamenei-3.pdf
- Human Rights Violation: Shutting down universities and suppressing protesters (18 Apr 1980 - Jul 1980) read more
- Head of the IRGC (24 Nov 1979 - 24 Feb 1980)
- Member of Parliament (Feb 1980 - Sep 1981)
- Human Rights Violation: Massacre of political prisoners in 1988 read more
- Institution
- Parliament
- Location
- Everywhere in Iran (Alborz Province, Ardabil Province, Bushehr Province, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, East Azerbaijan Province, Fars Province, Gilan Province, Golestan Province, Hamadan Province, Hormozgan Province, Ilam Province, Isfahan Province, Kerman Province, Kermanshah Province, Khuzestan Province, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Kurdistan Province, Lorestan Province, Markazi Province, Mazandaran Province, North Khorasan Province, Qazvin Province, Qom Province, Razavi Khorasan Province, Semnan Province, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, South Khorasan Province, Tehran Province, West Azerbaijan Province, Yazd Province, Zanjan Province)
- Rights Violated
- Right to a fair trial, Right to freedom of expression, Right to life
- Description
- As the president of Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyyed Ali Khamenei is responsible for the massacre of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 and its coverup. [Source A, B, C, D]
- Sources
- Human Rights Violation: Massacre of political prisoners in 1988 read more
- President (Sep 1981 - Jun 1989)
- Human Rights Violation: Massacre of political prisoners (Summer 1988) read more
- Institution
- President
- Location
- (National)
- Rights Violated
- Right to a fair trial, Right to life
- Description
-
As president, he is responsible for the execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988, who were re-tried in unfair trials and sentenced to death based on their political and religious beliefs. He is also responsible for the cover up and the secrecy surrounding the massacre.
- Sources
"The position of the Iranian authorities at the time regarding the executions of the 60's", BBC Farsi, 13 September, 2013 https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Khamenei-4.pdf
Geoffry Robertson, “The UN must try Iran's 1988 murderers”, 7 June 2010
https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/RAEISI-10.pdf
Full text of Iran Tribunal: A case concerning gross violations of human right s and commission of crime against humanity by Islamic Republic of Iran,5 February 2013 https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/RAEISI-11.pdf
“Pour-Mohammadi and the 1988 Prison Massacres”, Human Rights Watch, December 2005
https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/RAEISI-12.pdf
- Human Rights Violation: Massacre of political prisoners (Summer 1988) read more
- Head of the Expediency Discernment Council (Feb 1988 - Jun 1989)
- Deputy of Revolution Affairs in the Ministry of Defence (Unknown)
- Friday Prayer Imam, Tehran (1979 - present)
- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Jun 1989 - present)
- Human Rights Violation: Suppression of the nationwide protests (Dec 2017 - Jan 2018) read more
- Institution
- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
- Location
- (National)
- Rights Violated
- Right to a fair trial, Right to freedom from torture, Right to freedom of assembly, Right to freedom of expression, Right to life
- Description
-
As the leader of the Islamic Republic, he is responsible for the killing, mass arrests and brutal suppression of the nationwide protests in December 2017-January 2018 by the military, judicial and security institutions under his command.
- Sources
"the Leader of the Revolution on the protests of January 1996", Mashreq News, 13 August, 2017 https://www.mashreghnews.ir/news/883824/%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D9%85-%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%B1%D9%87%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D8%BA%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%87-96
“Iranian Officials Confirm 25 Dead in Protests”, VOA News, 14 January 2018 https://www.voanews.com/world-news/middle-east-dont-use/iranian-officials-confirm-25-dead-protests
- Human Rights Violation: Suppression of post-election protests (2009) read more
- Institution
- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
- Location
- (National)
- Rights Violated
- Right to a fair trial, Right to freedom from torture, Right to freedom of assembly, Right to freedom of expression, Right to life
- Description
-
As the leader of the Islamic Republic, he is responsible for the killing, mass detention and torture of protesters during the 2009 post-election protests through the security and military institutions under his supervision and also through the explicit order to suppress the protesters during Friday prayers on 20 June, 2009.
Following the announcement of the results of the tenth Iranian presidential election and the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, widespread protests were held in Iranian cities. The protests were brutally suppressed by the riot police, the IRGC and Basij, killing at least 70 people, injuring thousands and widespread arrests.
- Sources
The full text of Ali Khameneh's Friday prayer sermon on 20 June 20, 2009 https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Mirhejazi-5.pdf
“Iran election protests: the dead, jailed and missing”, The Guardian, 29 July 2009 https://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2009/jul/29/iran-election-protest-dead-missing
- Human Rights Violation: Violation of Baha’i citizens’ rights (Mar 1990) read more
- Institution
- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
- Location
- (National)
- Rights Violated
- Right to education, Right to freedom of religion and belief, Right to non-discrimination
- Description
-
As the leader of the Islamic Republic, he was responsible for systematically violating the rights of this religious minority, by issuing fatwas and calling Baha'is "impure", and ordering the state’s institutions to suppress this religion and its followers.
- Sources
Image of Ali Khamenei's fatwa on followers of the Baha'i Faith, Archive of Justice for Iran, https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/1.pdf
Confidential letter of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution regarding the imposition of restrictions on followers of the Baha'i Faith, 1990 https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/khamenei-n0.pdf
- Human Rights Violation: Violation of human rights by the Judiciary (Jun 1989 - present) read more
- Institution
- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
- Location
- (National)
- Rights Violated
- LGBTI rights, Right to a fair trial, Right to freedom of expression, Right to life, Rights of ethnic groups, Women's rights
- Description
-
As the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the appointer of the head of judiciary, he has been responsible for widespread human rights abuses through unfair trials and inhumane sentences, including executions and amputations, since 1989.
- Sources
-
Interview with the Legal Department of the Judiciary, Ettela’at Newspaper, 20 December, 2014 https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Larijani-000.pdf
- Human Rights Violation: Violation of citizens’ human rights by the security agencies (Jun 1989 - present) read more
- Institution
- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
- Location
- (National)
- Rights Violated
- Right to freedom from torture, Right to freedom of expression
- Description
-
As the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, he has been responsible for widespread human rights violations through arbitrary detention, torture, prosecution of human rights defenders and civil society activists, and the assassination of political dissidents by security agencies under his supervision.
- Sources
-
"Torture in Iran: an Interrogator’s misconduct or the Method of a System?", Deutsche Welle, 16 December, 2016 https://www.dw.com/fa-ir/iran/a-47088381
Government assassinations in the Islamic Republic according to statistics, Shahed Alavi, February 2017
- Human Rights Violation: Violation of human rights by the IRIB (Jun 1989 - present) read more
- Institution
- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
- Location
- (National)
- Rights Violated
- Right to a fair trial, Right to freedom from torture, Right to freedom of expression, Right to privacy
- Description
-
As the leader of the Islamic Republic, and the appointer of the head of the Radio and Television (IRIB), he has been responsible for recording and broadcasting the forced confessions of individuals on Iranian state television channels, which were extracted under torture and duress.
- Sources
ORWELLIAN STATE: ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN’S STATE MEDIA AS A WEAPON OF MASS SUPPRESSION, JFI & FIDH, June 2020 https://justice4iran.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ORWELLIAN-STATE-ISLAMIC-REPUBLIC-OF-IRAN%E2%80%99S-STATE-MEDIA-AS-A-WEAPON-OF-MASS-SUPPRESSION-English-1.pdf
“Cut! Take the Press TV Off the Air”, Justice for Iran, 22 April 2012 https://justice4iran.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/CutTakePressTVofftheAir-English.pdf
- Human Rights Violation: Killing and suppressing protesters (Nov 2019 - present) read more
- Institution
- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
- Location
- (National)
- Rights Violated
- Right to a fair trial, Right to freedom from torture, Right to freedom of assembly, Right to freedom of expression, Right to life
- Description
As the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, he is responsible for killing, detaining, torturing and suppressing protesters during the November 2019 national protests, through the military and judicial security agencies under his command, and also through the explicit order to suppress the protests on 17 November, 2019. The nationwide protests of 2019, known as the protests of November 2019, were a series of large-scale popular demonstrations against the Iranian government, which began on 15 November, 2019 in protest of the tripling of gasoline prices and quickly turned into anti-government protests that spread to 29 provinces in more than 100 cities across the country. According to Reuters at least 1500 were killed during the protests. Amnesty International, verified the identity of 304 protesters killed by the security forces.
- Sources
Video of Ali Khamenei's remarks about the nationwide protests in November 2017, Justice for Iran Archive, 17 November, 2017 https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Benzin-Khamenei.mp4
“Shoot to Kill: Preliminary Findings of Justice for Iran’s Investigation into the November 2019 protests”, Justice for Iran, February 2020
“Special Report: Iran’s leader ordered crackdown on unrest - 'Do whatever it takes to end it'”, Reuters, 23 December 2019
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-protests-specialreport-idUSKBN1YR0QR
“Iran: Details released of 304 deaths during protests six months after security forces’ killing spree”, Amnesty International, 20 May 2020
List of confirmed and unconfirmed names of victims and detainees of the November protests, Iranwire, 2019
https://iranwire.com/fa/features/34397
"4 Days of Suppression in Iran: What Do We Know About the Protest Victims?", Iran Wire, November 2019
https://iranwire.com/fa/features/34262
The Seven Layers of the Suppression Organization in the Islamic Republic, Murad Veisi, Radio Farda, 2019
https://www.radiofarda.com/a/seven-layers-of-suppression-in-Islamic-republic-of-Iran/29421805.htm
- Human Rights Violation: Suppression of the nationwide protests (Dec 2017 - Jan 2018) read more
On 24 June, 2019, the President of the United States issued an executive order placing Ali Khamenei and his office on the US Treasury Department's sanctions list. According to this decree, the assets of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic or the assets belonging to the office of the Supreme Leader that are in the territory of the United States or under the control of American companies and banks have been frozen and he has been banned from entering the United States. The decree also imposed secondary sanctions on officials appointed by Khamenei and his office.