Three ‘Victims of Violence’ File Complaint Against Raisi in New York Federal Court
Three victims of Iran’s judicial system during Ibrahim Raisi’s tenure as head of that institution filed a complaint against him in New York federal court.
The complaint filed by these three individuals centers on arbitrary detention, imprisonment, and torture within Iran’s judicial system.
According to news formally announced last week, the three plaintiffs held a press conference at a hotel near Ibrahim Raisi’s residence in New York, where he traveled to attend the United Nations General Assembly session, to announce the filing of their complaint.
Mehdi Hajati, former member of Shiraz city council, Hamid Babaii, professor at the Iranian-Belgian University, and Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian researcher and former prisoner in Iran, are the plaintiffs in this case.
Navid Mohammadi, a former political prisoner in Iran and organizer of this press conference, told Voice of America that while the victims of Iran’s judiciary are numerous, this case against Ibrahim Raisi will proceed in America through these three plaintiffs as well.
Given Ibrahim Raisi’s presence in New York, it is possible that at the discretion of the presiding judge, a subpoena could be sent to Iran’s current president’s residence to compel his appearance in court.
Shahin Milani, a human rights lawyer leading the legal team for this case, says that filing this complaint will challenge the question of judicial immunity for political officials, especially those who commit “injustice” against their own citizens.
United States law allows courts in this country to hear cases of individuals who have been subjected to torture and arbitrary detention in other parts of the world.
Besides the case lawyers, several political and civil activists participated in this event, which was organized by the National Union for Democracy in Iran.
Noor Pahlavi, son of Prince Reza Pahlavi, was also present at this gathering.
Concurrently with Ibrahim Raisi’s presence, a number of Iranians residing in America protested in front of the United Nations headquarters against the free movement of Islamic Republic officials, particularly Iran’s current president, who is a principal perpetrator of the massacre of political prisoners in the 1980s in Iran.
A major rally of opponents of the Islamic Republic is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, September 21, in New York. Ibrahim Raisi will deliver his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on the same day.
These gatherings have taken on greater significance following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who died after being beaten by morality police officers, and the widespread domestic and international protests against police violence against women.
Prior to Raisi’s trip to New York, in recent days, dozens of Democratic and Republican members of Congress sent a letter to Joe Biden requesting that a visa not be issued to Raisi.
Source: Radio Farda
