In an interview with a student publication, Hojatoleslam Hamid Rohani said that confrontation methods similar to the ones used in the executions of 1988 should be repeated to counteract the new revolt.
According to Vatan Emrooz, in an interview with a student publication Hamid Rohani (devout Ahmadinejad supporter), while referring to the executions of the Monafeqin (the term used for Mojahedin-e Khalq) during the summer of 1988, noted:
In 1988, the Monafeqin who were in prison tactically announced their repentance. After the ceasefire [in the Iran-Iraq war], when the Monafeqin attacked Iran (referring to Mojahedin-e Khalq’s attack on Iran’s western border in July 1988), the prisoners rioted as well. They set the prison on fire as a defense tactic so when they [Mojahedin] reached Tehran, they would be able to finish the work together. Imam [Khomeini] declared that those who are involved in the issue are Mahdoor Al-dam (meaning their blood can be spilled with impunity) and must be tried and punished. I think that if the recent insurrections are not dealt with in the same decisive, serious, and revolutionary manner, this problem will persist.
HRANA notes
The summer of 1988 was one of the darkest and bloodiest eras in Iran’s history. Thousands of political prisoners were executed across Iran. Although the exact number of political prisoners executed remains unclear, Amnesty International has recorded the names of over 2,000 prisoners killed during this time and survivors and opposition groups have placed the number of executions at as high as 30,000. The atrociousness of the situation led Ayatollah Montazeri to write a series of open letters, most notably to then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, denouncing the executions. As a result, Montazeri (who had until then been the heir to Khomeini), was asked to resign and eventually pushed out of the government completely. He remained a powerful political force and influential voice for reformists. He passed away on December 19, 2009.
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