Statement of the Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
The Oppressed Sardasht as the Symbol of Human Rights
June 28, 1987 is a reminder of the brutality of the Middle Ages in the glory days of human civilization, which suddenly put a city with men, women and children in the arms of death and permanent injuries by means of chemical bombs. But this incident, in a strange connection, renewed another great pain in the hearts of the Iranian people caused by the evil on June 29, 1981. More significantly, both of these catastrophes were somehow linked to Saddam, former criminal of Iraqi and in later years to the European country of the Netherlands when Mohammad Reza Kolahi received asylum status in the country and the supply of chemical weapons by a Dutch businessman to Saddam.
The oppressed Sardasht deserves to be the torchbearer of human rights in the world due to the fact that it has thousands of martyrs and wounded in the crime of Saddam, the former dictator of Iraq. People of this city deserve to take legal action against the worst case of chemical crime against humanity and all individuals, institutions and governments allied with Saddam in this catastrophe including manufacturers of chemical weapons, supporters and other stewards.
The philosophy of the trial and the value of each court are formed in clarifying the truth and access to justice. Local authorities, with the help of elites and thinkers, should rightfully file a lawsuit and after thirty-four years of inaction of the authorities of other states, and respond to the historic demand of the oppressed Sardasht as a cornerstone in the element of justice. Obviously, in this process, the Attorney General, as the guardian of the public interest, has a fundamental and prominent role and he must use the power given by the society as the public prosecutor, without any consideration and influence, and fulfill the rights of the victims.
November 30, as the Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare, is an opportunity to commemorate the memory of all victims of chemical weapons and to call on world leaders and international organizations, especially the United Nations, to live up to their promises and commitments in accordance with the UN and other international instruments and take effective and deterrent action for victims and chemical warfare.
The Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism, while sympathizing with the survivors and wishing an immediate recovery for the victims of Saddam’s crime, calls on judicial officials, especially the Attorney General, the Ministers of Justice, Foreign Affairs, Interior and Health of the Islamic Republic of Iran to help the local authorities, who are competent to investigate according to the legal rule of the crime scene, investigate this crime against humanity in the city of Sardasht. So Sardasht can proudly establish itself in a legal process as a symbol of human rights in the world.
