Khavaran mass grave in Tehran, Iran. Undated
A former Iranian prison guard on trial in Sweden for his role in killings of thousands of prisoners in 1988, denied any knowledge of a prisoner mass grave.
Hamid Noury (Nouri) was arrested in November 2019 while visiting Sweden and charged with war crimes for his role in the execution of up to 5,000 political prisoners in Iran serving jail time. Sweden used the principal of universal jurisdiction to arrest and prosecute Noury, because the alleged crimes amounted to war crimes.
The cemetery called Khavaran is in southeast Tehran and an unmarked mass graveyard where at least dozens of executed prisoners are buried. Families of victims visit the cemetery regularly and lay flowers, although no one is certain about the exact identity of those buried in Khavaran.
Noury during the latest court session claimed he first heard about the graveyard when he was arrested in Sweden. He has also denied any role in the mass killings, although tacitly accepting that prisoners were executed. Dozens of witnesses, including prisoners who witnessed the summary trials in the summer of 1988, have testified in court against Noury.