The United Nations has welcomed the life sentence by a Swedish Court for Hamid Nouri over executions of political prisoners in 1988.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet tweeted on Friday to hail the historic conviction of a former Iranian official for his role in the 1988 summary executions of political prisners. 

She also called on other countries to “use universal jurisdiction to bridge the accountability gap for serious crimes and ensure truth and justice.”

The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, also praised the decision for the Iranian prosecutor and prison official, saying, “The process and verdict in Sweden constitute a landmark and important leap forward in the pursuit of truth and justice for a dark chapter in Iranian history. It is also a clear signal that denial, despite substantive evidence, and impunity can no longer be tolerated.”

“I urge other States to take on similar investigation and prosecution of serious human rights violations in Iran using principles of universal jurisdiction,” he added, reiterating calls for accountability for the summary executions and enforced disappearances in 1988. “However, the events continue to be denied by Iranian authorities. I hope this verdict is a first step towards full truth, justice and compensation for victims, their families and civil society organizations that persist in their demands for justice”.

Amnesty International had also lauded the decision earlier, saying the sentence “sends an unequivocal, and long overdue, message to the Iranian authorities that those responsible for crimes against humanity in Iran will not escape justice.