Organizers said the exhibition will include photographs and historical materials related to the 1988 killings, including a copy of an execution decree issued by then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The Iranian-American Community of North Texas will host a photo exhibition and discussion Sunday, Sept. 6, at Parr Library highlighting the 1988 mass executions of political prisoners in Iran and more recent executions and protests in the country.

The event is scheduled for 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the library, located at 6200 Windhaven Parkway.

Organizers said the exhibition will include photographs and historical materials related to the 1988 killings, including a copy of an execution decree issued by then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The exhibit will also feature records documenting Iranian dissidents, video testimonies organizers say were recorded by political prisoners before their executions and accounts from former political prisoners.

The 1988 prison killings occurred during the closing months of the Iran-Iraq War, when thousands of political prisoners were executed following proceedings before committees that later became known as “death commissions.” Human rights organizations and United Nations experts have called for investigations into the killings and accountability for those responsible.

The Plano event will also address more recent unrest and executions in Iran, including protests that began in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. Organizers say the exhibition is intended to draw connections between the government’s response to political opposition in 1988 and its treatment of dissidents and protesters in subsequent years.

The Iranian American Community of North Texas, which is sponsoring the event, identifies itself as a supporter of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an Iranian opposition coalition. The group advocates for an end to executions in Iran and the establishment of a secular democratic republic rather than the country’s current theocratic government or a restored monarchy.

The event is open to the public.