Background

Ayatollah Khomeini is founder of Iran's islamic republic; his 1988 execution fatwa is the template for wartime killings. Sayyid Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (Born 24 September 1902 in Khomein, Iran; died 3 June 1989 in Tehran) led the Islamic Revolution of 1979 that overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and founded the Islamic Republic of Iran, serving as its first Supreme Leader. He returned from exile in France on 1 February 1979 to become the new state's Singular authority. His core doctrine, velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurist), holds that a senior Shia jurist must exercise governmental authority during the occultation of the Twelfth Imam, systematised in his 1970 Najaf lectures and constitutionally enshrined in Articles 5 and 110 of Iran's 1979 constitution. Khomeini also founded the Basij in 1979 as a mass militia,

originally conceived as a '20-million-man army' to defend the revolution; it served in human-wave assaults during the Iran-Iraq War and became the domestic coercion apparatus that persists today. Khomeini's successors treat his fatwas and pronouncements as binding precedent. Death Commission member Mostafa Pourmohammadi stated publicly in 2016, 'We are proud we have implemented God's order', referring to the 1988 executions, and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei labelled the 1988 victims 'terrorists'. Iranian hardliners routinely invoke Khomeini's authority to suppress dissent, treating velayat-e faqih as a permanent constitutional settlement and any reformist challenge as illegitimate under his framework. His portrait still appears on Iranian banknotes and public buildings; his political-theological architecture, not just his memory,

Common Questions

What were the 1988 Iran executions ordered by Khomeini?

In 1988, Khomeini issued a fatwa ordering the mass execution of political prisoners, primarily members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq and leftist groups. Estimates range from 3,000 to 5,000 killed. The Islamic Revolutionary Courts issued death sentences with minimal process.Source: Amnesty International

Is the 2026 Iran wartime execution pattern similar to 1988?

Human rights monitors including Hengaw draw a direct institutional parallel: both periods used moharebeh charges, Islamic Revolutionary Courts, and accelerated timelines at specific prisons during wartime, though the 2026 scale is smaller so FAR.Source: Hengaw Organization for Human Rights

What is velayat-e faqih and how did Khomeini create it?

Velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurist) is the constitutional principle Khomeini established giving a senior Islamic jurist supreme authority over the Iranian state, overriding elected institutions. It is the foundation of the Supreme Leader position.

What was Khomeini's 1988 fatwa and how many people did it kill?

In July 1988 Khomeini issued a secret fatwa ordering the execution of political prisoners. A Death Commission administered the killings across at least 32 cities using moharebeh charges. Amnesty International and Montazeri's memoir estimate 2,800 to 5,000 dead; human rights organisations classify the killings as crimes against humanity.Source: Human Rights Watch / Amnesty International / Iran Primer USIP

What is velayat-e faqih and why does it matter in Iran today?

Velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurist) is the constitutional doctrine Khomeini developed in 1970 and enshrined in Articles 5 and 110 of Iran's 1979 constitution. It makes a senior Shia jurist the supreme political authority, overriding elected government. It is the foundational principle of the Islamic Republic and why the Supreme Leader sits above the president.Source: Britannica / Iran 1979 Constitution

Who was on Iran's Death Commission in 1988?

The Death Commission that administered Khomeini's 1988 execution fatwa comprised judge Hossein-Ali Nayyeri, Tehran prosecutor Morteza Eshraqi, deputy prosecutor-general Ebrahim Raisi (later President, died 2024), and Intelligence Ministry official Mostafa Pourmohammadi.Source: Human Rights Watch / Iran Primer USIP

Why do human rights groups compare Iran's 2026 executions to 1988?

Both the 1988 mass killings and the 2026 wartime executions use moharebeh charges, Islamic Revolutionary Courts outside ordinary criminal procedure, and accelerated timelines during periods of military pressure. Amnesty International and Hengaw have made the comparison explicit in their public reporting.Source: event

Did Khomeini ever accept an unwanted ceasefire?

Yes. In July 1988 Khomeini accepted the Ceasefire ending the Iran-Iraq War only reluctantly, after eight years of fighting, describing the decision as 'more deadly than drinking a poisoned chalice'.Source: Historical record

Source Material

Ruhollah Khomeini

How the World Sees Them

Reformist Iranians

Many reformists draw a direct line from Khomeini's 1988 order to the Islamic Revolutionary Court structure executing protesters today, arguing the institution has never reformed and cannot from within.

Iran (Islamic Republic)

Khomeini is venerated as the father of the revolution. His portrait appears on banknotes and public buildings. His 1988 execution order is not acknowledged by the state; hardliners cite his authority to justify current repression.

Human rights organisations

Amnesty International and Iran Human Rights classify the 1988 mass executions as crimes against humanity. The current wartime execution pattern is explicitly compared to 1988 in their public reporting and advocacy.