International Community Must Not Forget Iran’s President’s Dark Record of Human Rights Violations
Following Ibrahim Raisi’s confirmation to assume the presidency of Iran for the next four years, concerns about the continuation and increase of human rights violations in Iran have intensified. Raisi’s statements in his first press conference as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding human rights and his strong defense of his record as one of Iran’s most experienced and powerful figures in the judiciary over the past forty years demonstrate the regime’s determination to continue security and judicial measures against civil and political activists without accountability or transparency regarding human rights violations in Iran.
Hadi Qomi, director of the Human Rights Campaign in Iran, referring to Raisi’s dark record in the judiciary, stated: “Raisi’s position as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran should not cause his dark history in the judiciary and his direct role in multiple human rights violations such as the 1988 executions to be forgotten.”
Qomi emphasized: “Establishing a specific mechanism to initiate criminal investigations against Raisi’s charges of crimes against humanity is the most essential measure that must be pursued by the UN Human Rights Council with the cooperation of human rights organizations and civil society so that political considerations do not prevent accountability for discovering the truth and implementing justice.”
The Human Rights Campaign in Iran, while condemning the illegal process of conducting the presidential elections in Iran and the regime’s attempt to exploit one of the most important manifestations and paths of popular participation in determining their own destiny—namely “elections”—for “appointing” individuals close to power, considers Raisi’s presence in the position of the presidency as a clear warning to civil society and critics of the current situation. Raisi’s history of suppressing critics and political opponents, the intensification of forced measures against civil activists such as activists for ethnic and religious minorities’ rights, and the increasing infiltration of security forces into the country’s judicial system, especially during his brief tenure as head of the judiciary, indicate that this approach will be continuously pursued in Raisi’s government as well.
Raisi’s assumption of the presidency increases the possibility of using repressive forces in confronting popular protests. Protests by various sections of society that are mainly driven by livelihood demands and hold the government directly responsible for resolving their crises, coupled with the history of judicial measures taken by the judiciary under Raisi’s command against labor activists and protesters, increase the likelihood of the continuation and expansion of security and judicial measures.
The Human Rights Campaign in Iran calls on the international community and human rights organizations and institutions to, considering Raisi’s long and dark history of repeated human rights violations and his direct participation in the execution of more than 4,500 political prisoners in 1988, compel Iran’s thirteenth president to account for the continuous repeated human rights violations over the past four decades.
The Human Rights Campaign in Iran considers Raisi’s statements about his role in the 1988 executions as clear and obvious evidence of his admission of responsibility for this action and calls on the international community not to forget that Ibrahim Raisi is one of the most significant human rights violators in Iran and the necessary groundwork should be provided for his summons and investigation regarding the execution of prisoners in 1988 in Iran.
In his first press conference with the presence of domestic and foreign media representatives, Ibrahim Raisi, in response to a question about multiple allegations of human rights violations during his years in the judiciary, stated: “They accuse me of human rights violations, but I should be commended.”
Hadi Qomi, referring to Raisi’s statements in his first press conference as Iran’s President, said: “Raisi’s defense of his role in the 1988 executions in Iran demonstrates the regime’s thinking about human rights violations in the country and the authorities’ insistence on continuing methods of suppressing civil and political society in the future.”
According to Hadi Qomi, “Any silence or appeasement in the face of the government’s repressive thoughts and actions against the people can weaken emerging civil movements in Iran, including the justice-seeking movement in the coming period.”
Amnesty International, following Raisi’s appointment as President of Iran, issued a statement requesting the UN Human Rights Council to establish a mechanism to investigate Raisi’s crimes against human rights so that, by analyzing evidence and documents demonstrating his role in committing grave crimes under international law, justice can be independently implemented.
Source: Human Rights
