The 60-year-old Iranian Hamid Noury has denied before a Swedish court his involvement in the mass executions of hundreds of prisoners in Iran in 1988. However, in the first session Tuesday, the prosecutor said that Noury is suspected of murder and war crimes.

 

The executions of members of the opposition Iranian People’s Mujahideen (MEK) movement took place between July 30 and August 16 in 1988. The opposition members were jailed after a series of attacks by the MEK. However, the executed have never been convicted.

Hundreds of people demonstrated outside the court, including supporters of the MEK. They held up signs with pictures of people killed and demanded justice. They also want Sweden to decry the swearing of new Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Raisi is also said to have been involved in the executions. He denies it himself, but he does support the executions.

According to the Swedish prosecutor, it is the first case against a suspect in the mass executions in Iran at the end of the war with Iraq in 1988. The case will last three days, and a verdict is expected in April 2022.

Noury was still living in Iran but was lured to Sweden by former political prisoner Iraj Mesdaghi. Mesdaghi had gathered a lot of evidence for Noury’s involvement. Once in Sweden, Noury was arrested.