1981–1982 Iran massacres
| Part of the Iranian Cultural Revolution | |
| Location | Iran |
|---|---|
| Type | Widespread executions |
| Target | Political and religious opponents and dissidents, critics of Ruhollah Khomeini's government |
| Perpetrator | Islamic Republic of Iran |
| Deaths | > 3,500 executed |
The 1981–1982 Iran massacres were a state-sponsored campaign of violence aimed at exterminating political and religious adversaries of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It followed a period of unrest and protests that culminated in the June 28 1981 bombing at the IRP headquarters, in which 74 leading officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran were killed. The subsequent period of retaliations became known as the "reign of terror". The victims included intellectuals, scientists, artists, socialists, social democrats, members and sympathizers of Mujahedin-e-Khalq, nationalists, liberals, monarchists, ethnic minorities, and followers of minority religions such as the Bahá'í Faith.
It was largely fueled by the Iranian Cultural Revolution decreed by Ruhollah Khomeini on 14 June 1980, with the intent of "purifying" Iranian society of non-Islamic elements. In July 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran published a landmark report on the 1981 massacre and categorised the atrocity crimes committed in 1981 and 1982 as genocide and crimes against humanity. In this report, the Rapporteur called for the establishment of an independent and international accountability mechanism.