Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, once the designated successor to Khomeini, later released audio tapes and memoirs in which he explicitly condemned the killings and named Nayyari and his colleagues as primary agents of this purge. Montazeri’s outspoken opposition led to his political marginalization and house arrest, but his revelations provided key documentation of one of the darkest chapters of post-revolution Iran.
According to human rights organizations and survivor accounts, thousands of political prisoners—estimates range from 2,800 to over 5,000—were executed during this campaign, buried in mass graves, and denied even the most basic judicial rights.
Amnesty International and Crimes Against Humanity
In 2019, Amnesty International published a comprehensive report on the 1988 massacre, describing it as a crime against humanity. The report identified Nayyari as one of the chief architects of the mass executions, stating that he played a decisive role in authorizing and overseeing the killings.
The document stressed that despite widespread documentation of the atrocities, none of the perpetrators had ever been held accountable—in fact, many, including Nayyari, continued to hold senior positions in the judiciary and government.
Testimonies from survivors offered harrowing details. One survivor recounted being brought before the committee blindfolded, recognizing Nayyari as the man in charge of his fate. “Nayyari was probably known by all the people of Iran at that time,” the survivor stated, “and he sentenced me to no less than death.”
