On Thursday, July 27th, Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC) held a photo exhibition in the Pelosi Caucus Room the US House of Representatives to highlight the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, the killing of pro-democracy protesters in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022, and the ongoing persecution of dissidents in Iran. The exhibition specially highlighted the role Iran’s current president Ebrahim Raisi has had in the aforementioned killings.
The event displayed hundreds of pictures and stories of the victims in the historic caucus room. House staff, Iranian Americans, and bipartisan members of congress attended the event. Among the attendees were Representatives Lance Gooden (R-TX), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), and Randy Weber (R-TX). Rep. Weber pointed to the massacre which began on July 19, 1988 and said, “over 30,000 were executed, a painful memory, but it evokes the spirit of Freedom in Iran today.”
During the exhibition, Representative Lance Gooden (R-TX) announced the introduction of the bipartisan resolution H.Res.627 and said, “I have co-authored along with some 36 bipartisan members of congress Condemning the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the massacre of political prisoners in 1988 and the uprisings of recent years, including the 2018, 2019, and 2022 uprisings, and calling for justice for its victims.”
The Caucus Room exhibition was the second of such displays in Congress over the preceding week. On Friday, July 21, a similar photo exhibition was held in the House Foyer.
Congressman Brand Sherman (D-CA) joined staff and Iranian American community members to commemorate the lives, messages, and memory of the the thousands in Iran who have been killed by the regime in Tehran.
Today, @RepCohen and 36 co-sponsors joined me on a resolution to protect the victims of the #1988massacre in Iran.
We also called for protecting the Iranian political refugees in Ashraf 3 in Albania under the 1951 Geneva Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.
— Lance Gooden (@Lancegooden) July 27, 2023
For #Iranians, the year 1988 evokes a painful memory – in 1988, death committees executed 30,000 #Iranian political prisoners. Once a death commissioner, #Iran’s President continues this brutality today.
We remember the innocent Iranians murdered in 1988 & #MahsaAmini protests. pic.twitter.com/MmLWDMdlHe
— Congressman Brad Sherman (@BradSherman) July 25, 2023
Honored today to visit with the honorable @RepGregStanton during our Capitol Hill photo exhibition. We look forward to introduction of a new House Resolution about the #1988Massacre today. @HouseForeign @SecBlinken @AlEmbassyUSA pic.twitter.com/kA6IYL30TZ
— OIAC: Organization of Iranian American Communities (@OrgIAC) July 27, 2023
https://twitter.com/OrgIAC/status/1683888044636618752
