In the Museum of Iranian Resistance in Ashraf 3, images of freedom fighters and influential figures in Iran’s contemporary history are displayed. Among them is the portrait of Dr. Kazem Rajavi, the great martyr of human rights, who dedicated all his resources and capabilities to supporting the Iranian Resistance and ultimately sacrificed his life for this cause.
Dr. Kazem Rajavi was born on February 18, 1934, in Mashhad, Iran. He was the elder brother of Massoud Rajavi, the leader of the Iranian Resistance. Kazem Rajavi completed his primary and secondary education in Mashhad and, after obtaining his diploma, taught for two years. In 1954, he was admitted to university to study law and later pursued his higher education in Switzerland.
Dr. Rajavi obtained a professorship in law in Switzerland and became a university professor and a faculty member at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. He played a pivotal role in saving his brother, Massoud Rajavi, from execution during the Pahlavi regime. After Massoud Rajavi’s arrest in October 1971, Dr. Kazem Rajavi, who was then a professor in Geneva, launched an extensive international campaign to prevent his brother’s execution. Using his academic status and global connections, he successfully brought the attention of human rights organizations and international bodies to his brother’s case.
These efforts included global exposure of the case and outreach to human rights institutions, which ultimately led to the commutation of Massoud Rajavi’s death sentence to life imprisonment.
His Role in the Resistance and Human Rights Advocacy
After the 1979 Revolution, Dr. Kazem Rajavi was appointed as Iran’s first ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva. However, he soon resigned in protest and joined the ranks of the Iranian Resistance. He became the representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Switzerland and played a significant role in exposing the human rights violations committed by the Islamic Republic at international forums.
Dr. Rajavi’s extensive human rights advocacy and efforts to expose the atrocities of the clerical regime provoked the fury and hostility of Iran’s ruling authorities. Finally, this distinguished human rights defender and NCRI representative in Switzerland was assassinated near Geneva on April 24, 1990, by a 13-member hit squad sent from Tehran.
Following the assassination, investigations revealed that the operation was orchestrated and executed by agents of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence. In the years that followed, legal efforts were made to pursue justice for this crime. Eventually, the Swiss Federal Court ordered the Swiss Attorney General to investigate Dr. Kazem Rajavi’s murder as a crime against humanity and genocide.
His Legacy and Commemoration
The memory of Dr. Kazem Rajavi as the great martyr of human rights remains alive in the hearts of the Iranian people and the international community. Every year, on the anniversary of his assassination, a commemorative ceremony is held in front of the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva to honor his tireless efforts and sacrifices in defending human rights.