Rasool Mogooei
PhD Student in International Relations, University of Isfahan
On August 30, 1981, the Iranian Prime Minister’s office located on Pasteur Street in Tehran was bombed. This tragic incident resulted in the martyrdom of several high-ranking officials, including President Mohammad Ali Rajai, Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar, and Hooshang Vahid Dastjerdi, the Chief of Iran’s Police Force. The attack was orchestrated by the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) and its affiliates in Iran, including Masoud Keshmiri, who served as the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council at the time and later fled the country.
The act of armed aggression and assassination of political leaders is considered a violation of international law and human rights. Various conventions and human rights regulations, along with international law, address the assassination of political and state officials and emphasize the importance of safeguarding their lives, whether within their own country or in the territory of another nation. One of the fundamental principles concerning political figures in foreign countries is the principle of immunity. This principle, which serves as the basis for protecting the lives of foreign political figures, implies that political representatives, whether present in the host country for a short or long duration, must not only have their lives safeguarded but also enjoy certain exemptions from legal obligations that ordinary citizens of the host country do not have, including diplomatic and consular immunity. This protection is so vital that these immunities remain valid even during armed conflicts and war until the diplomatic agents [or other political officials] and their families safely exit the host country’s territory (Khaloozadeh, 2015: 135).
However, what is particularly significant in this discussion is the assassination of political figures and the protection of their lives within their own national borders. International conventions and human rights treaties address this issue, deeming such acts as violations of human rights. It is crucial to note that these conventions view political figures as human beings, whose lives are valuable irrespective of the political positions they hold. Almost all human rights conventions of the United Nations affirm the importance of human life. These conventions encompass a range of fundamental rights and freedoms that everyone, including political figures, should enjoy. Any terrorist act against political figures constitutes a violation of these rights. The most prominent international document that addresses terrorism and its condemnation is the United Nations Charter. The Charter states that any act of terrorism that leads to instability and violates human rights is condemned (Pirzadeh, 2024).
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is the most significant document on this topic. This covenant is one of the most important human rights instruments adopted by the United Nations. Article 6 of the ICCPR highlights the right to life and considers any act of terrorism a violation of this right. The covenant obligates states to protect the right to life of their citizens and take necessary measures to prevent terrorism and punish its perpetrators. Additionally, the right to security, which is another cornerstone of human rights, is enshrined in this covenant, stating that everyone has the right to live in security and be protected from any threats or violence. It also emphasizes that every human being has the inherent right to life. This right is protected by law, and no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of their life (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2008).
Therefore, the bombing of the Prime Minister’s office is not only a terrorist act due to the explosion, mass killing, and murder of civilians, but it also constitutes a severe violation of human rights, as it resulted in the loss of lives of individuals who held political, not military, positions. This issue is not only related to the Prime Minister’s office but also to the assassination of thousands of ordinary citizens and the deprivation of their right to life by the MKO. Thus, Iran’s efforts to seek justice for the victims of this terrorist incident and to punish the perpetrators, including declaring the group a terrorist organization, conducting trials in absentia, pursuing diplomatic and international condemnation of the group, punishing the captured MKO members, and other actions taken, are natural rights.
In 2004, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1566, which calls on all states to cooperate in the fight against terrorism (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2008, p. 53). However, this approach has not been applied to the MKO. This group was relocated from Iraq to France and then to Albania (a NATO member) with the assistance of the United States for greater security. The group’s annual gathering has been held in Paris with the support of France (except in 2023), and the United States has removed the group from its list of terrorist organizations. Professor Louis Rene states that when countries provide sanctuary to such criminals and refuse to honor extradition requests, unilateral enforcement actions may be the only viable means to achieve justice for the victimized communities. Therefore, in such cases, even execution may be necessary for justice (Malwana, 2005: 4).
References
- Khaloozadeh, S. (2015). Diplomatic and Consular Law. Tehran: SAMT.
- Malwana, W. (2005). Assassination and International Human Law. College of Law, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou.
- Pirzadeh, A. (2024). A Study of Targeted Assassinations from an International Perspective. Retrieved from https://irannewspaper.ir/8524/3
- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (1966). International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/en/instrumentsmechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights
- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (2008). Human Rights, Terrorism, and Counter-Terrorism.
