The Night the Revolution Began to Kill

On the night of February 15, 1979, the Iranian Revolution revealed a darker side of its promise.

Only days earlier, millions of Iranians had celebrated in the streets. The monarchy had collapsed. The Shah had fled the country. A new era seemed to be dawning. For many people, the revolution meant freedom from dictatorship, corruption, and fear. It meant justice for the victims of the old regime.

But that night, on the rooftop of a school in Tehran, the revolution showed how it would enforce that justice.

Four men stood against a wall. They had once been powerful figures under the Shah’s government—military commanders and intelligence officials. Now they were prisoners of the new order. Their trial had lasted only a few hours. There were no defense lawyers. No jury. No appeals.

A revolutionary court had already made its decision.

Moments later, the order was given.

Gunfire echoed across the rooftop as a firing squad carried out the sentence. Within minutes, the bodies were removed. Photographs were taken. Footage circulated. The message was clear: the revolution would not hesitate to kill its enemies.

For supporters of the new Islamic Republic, these executions were justice—long overdue punishment for those who had oppressed the Iranian people under the rule of the Shah.

For others, they marked the beginning of something far more frightening.