Despite pressure by state authorities to remain silent, the Mothers of Khavaran have worked for over thirty years to seek justice and accountability for their loved ones.
During the 1980s, as the Islamic Republic authorities executed and buried prisoners at Khavaran, more families came together and honoured their loved ones en masse.
In response to a hunger strike by their loved ones at Gohardasht prison in objection to torture and poor conditions, Mothers stepped up their appeals and activities.
[4] A significant number of victims are assumed to be buried in mass graves in Khavaran Cemetery, referred to by state authorities as ‘doomed land’ southeast of Tehran.
Reports indicate that the Islamic Republic authorities ordered family members of victims to refrain from holding any public events associated with mourning the loss of their loved ones.
Later, Ayatollah Montazeri sought ways to end the execution of “thousands in a few days.” Families of Khavaran then visited Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi, but were refused a response.
The Mothers later found that these periods marked by bans were set aside to process prisoners through two-minute interrogation sessions before a three-member death commission, leading to mass executions and burials.
After authorities returned some the victims' belongings [8] to their families in December 1988, The Mothers took the significant step of organizing a public demonstration.
The Mothers' role in the dissemination of information about the deaths of their family members through interviews and documentaries serves as a source of oral history.
The hallmark of these letters is their departure from the traditional and mournful approaches by victims and is itself a sign of the exemplary power of this group and the manner in which they redefine the role of survivors.
The Mothers of Khavaran were the first grassroots body in the country to call for the identification and prosecution of state officials responsible for the summary executions rampant in the Iranian judicial system.
While their efforts went unanswered by both Iranian and international authorities and organizations, they searched for new ways to produce awareness of Iran's human rights violations and redefined legal boundaries to further the cause of justice.
It was their vision and commitment that acted as a catalyst and served as the background to bring about a new consciousness regarding state responsibility in different categories of crimes against Iranian citizens.
The Mykonos restaurant assassinations verdict implicating Iran in assassinations carried out in Germany, Islamic Republic officials' admission of murders of chained dissidents, the expansion and consolidation of human rights defenses through efforts by the Mothers, and the unprecedented Iran Tribunal[11] proceedings, stand as tributes to the unprecedented movement, commitment and sacrifices by Mothers of Khavaran.
In December 1988 personal property of victims was mixed together and randomly returned to their families, who were left to sort out what belonged to whom, in order to aggravate their suffering.
Reports indicate that on 1 September, the first anniversary of the executions, security and intelligence forces attacked the families and proceeded to arrest a number of them.
While attacks, arrests and other forms of harassment went on, Mothers and other family members continued to press on, called on the international community to investigate the executions in Iran and made every attempt to meet with the UN Special Rapporteur, Mr. Pohl, and to present him with significant documents.
The authorities have gone so far as to saturate the land with lime and salt water in order to prevent families from planting flowers or greenery at Khavaran.
[13] Many family members tend to Khavaran in order to ensure the site remains intact despite repeated attacks by the authorities.
[16] The award ceremony attracted the attention of several Iranian media outlets including BBC Persian, Euronews and Voice of America.