A meeting in support of a free Iran was held in Washington; a request was made to prosecute Ebrahim Raisi.
A meeting in support of a free Iran by Iranian-American communities was held in Washington on Monday, September 19, and speakers at the event called for the international community to pay attention to Ebrahim Raisi's role in the 1988 massacre in Iran and to prosecute the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was one of the speakers at the meeting. Emphasizing that his information about Raisi dates back to his time as head of the US Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA, Mr. Pompeo said that Raisi should be prosecuted immediately.
The former US Secretary of State added: "There is no doubt that Ebrahim Raisi is personally responsible for the killing of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. The names of approximately five thousand of these victims have been published, and the bodies of those brave men and women are buried in unmarked graves."
He emphasized that since the Islamic Republic has not yet allowed an investigation into this case and may never do so, the exact number of victims may never be known, but "we definitely have more than five thousand names."
Stressing the need to hold Raisi accountable for crimes against humanity, Mike Pompeo recalled that Raisi was "not just an advisor and a simple soldier, but a murderer."
In an interview with the Persian service of the Voice of America, Ramesh Sepehrrad of the Iranian-American Communities Organization emphasized that the main goal of the conference is to "demand from the international community that Ebrahim Raisi be put on trial," referring to Ebrahim Raisi's role in the "massacre... of more than 30,000 prisoners" in 1988, "90 percent of whom were supporters and members of the People's Mojahedin Organization."
Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is making a virtual appearance at the United Nations General Assembly this year, and his pre-recorded message will be released in video form.
Earlier, on the eve of the annual United Nations General Assembly, Farshgerd Network wrote a letter to the organization's 192 member states, urging them to "prevent Ebrahim Raisi from attending New York" and "leave the meeting in protest if he or his representative gives a virtual speech."
Also, more than 400 Iranian-American scientists, experts, university professors, and researchers wrote a letter to US President Joe Biden, requesting that he address and mention Ebrahim Raisi's role in the 1988 executions in Iran and the accusation of crimes against humanity during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
Following the announcement of Ebrahim Raisi's victory in the Iranian presidential election, the US State Department, in response to a question from Gita Arian, a correspondent for the Persian service of the Voice of America, about the election, stated that Iranians were deprived of their right to choose their leaders in a free and fair electoral process.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki also said in response to a question about how the United States would interact with Raisi as president of Iran – someone who was involved in the executions of political prisoners in the 1960s and is under sanctions – “The new president must now be held accountable for the human rights violations committed during his presidency. We strongly urge the Iranian government or those in power to release political prisoners and improve the human rights and fundamental freedoms situation for all Iranians.”
Source: Voice of America
