The Current The push for justice in Iran
Jan 26, 2026
Payam Akhavan, human rights lawyer and former UN/International Criminal Tribunal prosecutor, outlines the scale of state violence in Iran. He describes mass killings and survivor accounts. He discusses paths to international accountability, what a Nuremberg-like reckoning could look like, and the stakes for Iran’s youth and the country’s political future.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Unprecedented Scale Means 'Extermination'
- Payam Akhavan says the scale of killings in Iran is unprecedented and may exceed other historical massacres like Srebrenica.
- He frames the violence as legally fitting the category of extermination under crimes against humanity.
Survivor Hid In A Body Bag
- Payam recounts parents finding their son alive after he hid in a body bag for three days to avoid execution.
- He says such miracles are rare amid many mutilated bodies returned to grieving families.
Global Courts Face Political Limits
- Akhavan explains international courts face jurisdictional and political limits, making The Hague unlikely for Iran now.
- He argues accountability will likely occur later in Iran or via other mechanisms once the perpetrators lose power.