Bob Blackman MP: Securing international inquiry into the 1988 massacre will win over the Iranian people

Earlier in September, the UN Secretary General sent the latest report of the Special Rapporteur on Iran’s human rights to the General Assembly for discussion. The August 14 report provides a detailed account of a series of serious abuses that were carried out by the Iranian authorities in the past year year.

But this year's report is unique compared with previous reports because the Special Rapporteur highlights the massacre of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. The report documents the direct involvement of senior Iranian officials and current ministers in carrying out and defending these mass executions as well as the authorities’ efforts to destroy evidence of mass graves and to harass, intimidate and prosecute those who seek truth and justice.

On September 21, the UN Security Council adopted a historic resolution proposed by the UK to bring Daesh to justice. According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office statement, “the resolution was passed by the Security Council following a letter written to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres from the Iraqi Prime Minister and Foreign Minister requesting international support of Iraqi efforts to bring Daesh to justice.”

This shows that Britain is in a strong position to lead the demand for justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre in Iran, if it has the political will and moral courage.

The West's indifference to Iran's historic crimes lets my brother's killers get away

Ahmad Raoof Bashardoost was amongst the 30,000 victims of the Iranian mullahs’ madness in the summer of 1988Massoumeh Raouf

On a cold day in March 1988, my colleague came to me and said "Masoumeh, Masoumeh, you have a letter".

Receiving a letter is a routine for most people, but not for me. I was a former political prisoner in Iran and had been sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment in the city of Rasht in northern Iran. I was able to escape the prison miraculously and cross Iran's borders in a completely non-standard fashion. In the midst of a severe crackdown on dissent in Iran, it was very risky to send me a letter.

I opened the envelope with curiosity. I was shocked after reading a few lines. It was a letter from my younger brother, Ahmad. "Ahmad? Can this be true?"

For years I was waiting for such a day. Ahmad was arrested when the regime's Revolutionary Guards raided our home in 1982, when he was 16-years-old. His crime was participating in meetings held by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the regime's main opposition. After suffering long torture he was sentenced to five years in prison. He was first held in Rasht Prison and was subsequently transferred to the notorious jails of Evin and Gohardasht.