A newly surfaced video clip from February 15, 2025, reveals Mohammad Moghiseh, an Iranian judge and interrogator, recounting a pivotal meeting with Ruhollah Khomeini regarding the 1988 massacre of political prisoners. In the footage, Moghiseh describes how he and six other officials visited Khomeini, who explicitly ordered them to continue the executions without hesitation.
“This matter concerns me alone. Do not concern yourselves with Qom or elsewhere. Just ensure that none of these Monafeqin [the MEK members] escape God’s verdict,” Khomeini reportedly said, according to Moghiseh’s account in the clip.
The revelation provides further evidence of Khomeini’s direct role in the 1988 mass executions, a period during which thousands of political prisoners—many affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK)—were executed across Iran’s prisons. The timing of the video’s release is particularly notable, coming just weeks after Mohammad Moghiseh was assassinated in Tehran.
Mohammad Moghiseh’s Assassination in Tehran’s Justice Palace
On January 18, 2025, Moghiseh was shot and killed inside Tehran’s Justice Palace by Farshad Asadi, a judiciary employee. He was killed alongside Ali Razini, another senior judicial figure linked to mass executions. Their deaths marked the end of a career defined by Moghiseh’s direct role in Iran’s suppression of political dissidents.
Despite his high-ranking positions in Iran’s judiciary, Moghiseh was widely recognized as an executioner rather than a judge. His name was frequently mentioned in human rights reports for overseeing politically motivated trials, issuing harsh sentences against dissidents, and personally participating in prisoner interrogations.
Who Was Mohammad Moghiseh?
Born in 1956 in Sabzevar, Moghiseh, also known as Nasirian, was an interrogator and prison official before becoming a judge. His career was shaped by his role in Iran’s judicial and prison system, where he worked closely with Asadollah Lajevardi, the infamous “Butcher of Evin.”
Between 1981 and 1985, Moghiseh served as the assistant prosecutor of Evin Prison, participating in interrogations, torture, and mass executions. He later became the deputy warden of Evin Prison and was directly involved in the 1988 massacre, during which thousands of prisoners were executed without fair trials.
During the mass executions at Gohardasht Prison, survivors recall that Moghiseh would personally ensure prisoners were killed efficiently. According to eyewitness testimony, he would pull down the legs of prisoners as they were being hanged to speed up the process.
Moghiseh continued to play a central role in political repression after 1988:
- 1990-1999: Prosecutor at Ershad Court, enforcing hijab laws and suppressing activists.
- 1999-2021: Judge at Branch 28 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, issuing harsh sentences against political dissidents and protesters.
- 2011, 2019, 2023: Sanctioned by the European Union, the United States, and Canada for human rights violations.
He was responsible for sentencing numerous protesters, journalists, and activists to long prison terms and even death sentences—including those arrested during Iran’s 2009 Green Movement protests.
New Evidence and Unanswered Questions
The video clip of Mohammad Moghiseh confirms what human rights organizations have long stated: the 1988 massacre was a premeditated purge ordered by Khomeini and carried out by key judicial figures, including Moghiseh. His words in the footage reveal how judiciary officials reported back to Khomeini and received his direct authorization to continue the executions.