Two senior judges infamous for their roles in Iran’s history of systemic human rights abuses, Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh, were killed in their offices in Tehran early Saturday morning. According to official reports, an infiltrator within the judiciary carried out the attack, fatally shooting the judges before taking his own life as security forces closed in.
The deaths of Razini and Moghiseh have sparked renewed scrutiny of their controversial legacies. Both judges were prominent figures in Iran’s judiciary and notorious for their involvement in the mass execution of political prisoners during the 1988 massacre. The massacre, which claimed the lives of over 30,000 political prisoners, remains one of the most harrowing episodes in Iran’s modern history.
Ali Razini, head of Branch 41 of the Supreme Court, was widely recognized as one of the key enforcers of the Iranian regime’s brutal campaign against dissent. As a member of the “Death Committees,” Razini played a direct role in sentencing thousands of political prisoners to execution based on their political affiliations. The Death Committees were assembled under the orders of regime supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini in 1988 and were tasked with purging Iran’s prisons of all dissidents, especially those with ties to the People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). The trials of the prisoners lasted no more than a few minutes and they were immediately sent to their deaths if they did not denounce their support for the PMOI.
In a 2016 interview, Razini unapologetically defended his actions, admitting to personally interrogating prisoners and ensuring their execution or prolonged imprisonment. His notorious rulings included sentencing dozens of university students to death in Bojnourd, a decision he claimed was intended to instill fear and crush opposition.
Mohammad Moghiseh, known by his alias “Naserian,” presided over numerous politically motivated trials, frequently issuing death sentences and overseeing torture. As a member of the Death Committee at Gohardasht Prison during the 1988 massacre, Moghiseh expedited the execution of countless prisoners, including those with disabilities.
Moghiseh’s record extends beyond the 1988 massacre. In 2019, he sentenced Abdullah Ghasempour to death and imprisoned three of his relatives for alleged ties to opposition groups. Survivors recount harrowing instances of Moghiseh mocking prisoners before their executions and facilitating the torture of detainees.
The legacies of Razini and Moghiseh have drawn widespread international condemnation over the years. Human rights organizations have long called for accountability for their involvement in atrocities, labeling their actions as crimes against humanity. Both men were sanctioned by the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States for their roles in the 1988 massacre and other human rights abuses.