‘Lot 41’: Iran turning Islamic Revolution burial site into parking area; satellite images show paving

A section of Tehran’s largest cemetery, where thousands of people executed after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution were buried, is being paved over to make a parking lot. Lot 41 of Behesht-e Zahra cemetery has long been known as the burial place of dissidents, monarchists, communists and others killed by firing squad or hanging in the early years of the Islamic Republic.The area has been under tight surveillance for years, with grave markers vandalised and trees deliberately dried out. United Nations special rapporteur in 2024 says the demolition is part of Iran’s effort to erase evidence of mass killings and prevent families from mourning. Satellite images from Planet Labs show the land being freshly paved in August, with trucks and asphalt piled on site. Cemetery officials say the parking will serve visitors to a nearby section where authorities plan to bury victims of the recent Iran-Israel conflict, reported reformist newspaper Shargh. Tehran’s deputy mayor, Davood Goudarzi, confirmed last week that the lot is being turned into parking space. He described those buried there as “hypocrites of the early revolution” and said the project was “ongoing in a precise and smart way.” The move has sparked criticism from rights activists and lawyers, who argue that families were never consulted, as required by Iran’s own cemetery laws. Research suggests between 5,000 and 7,000 people may be buried in Lot 41.

“It represents the final phase of destruction,” said Shahin Nasiri, a University of Amsterdam lecturer who studied the site. “Families are still searching for the graves of loved ones. The destruction adds another barrier to truth and justice.” The move follows a pattern of Iranian authorities targeting graves of political prisoners, Baha’i minorities and protesters from the 2009 Green Movement to the 2022 Mahsa Amini demonstrations.