During the 1988 massacre, the Iranian regime created “death commissions” that systematically executed 30,000 political prisoners with the intention of stamping out any organized opposition to the dictatorship, but in the 30+ years since no one has been held accountable and the officials have actually been rewarded for their crimes against humanity.
This includes new President Ebrahim Raisi, who was awarded the position by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He served on the death commission and sent thousands to their death.
Last weekend, the Free Iran World Summit 2021 was held and during the three-day event, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) president Maryam Rajavi, delivered a keynote address every day. The final speech focused on the regime’s abysmal human rights record and how the international community could help to prevent further deterioration of these rights under Raisi.
She said: “As far as the international community is concerned. This is the litmus test of whether it will engage and deal with this genocidal regime or stand with the Iranian people… [Raisi is] guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity.”
Aside from the 1988 massacre, one of the most gruesome crimes was the crackdown on the November 2019 uprising, which Raisi oversaw as the judiciary chief. The uprising took place in 200 cities and towns, which the regime officials responded to with panic and violence, opening fire indiscriminately on crowds, killing 1500 people in the streets, and arresting at least 12,000, who were then subjected to torture to force confessions that might result in their execution.
Rajavi said that the international community must isolate Raisi and make him the focus of inquiries into Iran’s crimes against humanity, as well as urging the United Nations to ban him from the General Assembly. These calls were echoed by many other Summit participants.
For example, former US Senator Robert Torricelli said: “If the United Nations decides that Raisi belongs to the United Nations, then the United Nations does not belong in New York. We must not host terrorists, despots, and mass murderers.” While Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa explained that the world has “forgotten” about the 1988 massacre and that Raisi’s inauguration must bring it back to lawmakers’ attention.
The Iranian Resistance insisted that everyone that has the means to mould Western policy on Iran must exert all pressure to make the human rights record the primary focus so that it’s impossible to forget the massacre and Raisi’s role in it.
