Iranian regime president Ebrahim Raisi canceled his planned trip to Switzerland after supporters of the Iranian Resistance filed a complaint over his role in the execution of dissidents. Raisi was scheduled to attend the Global Refugee Forum 2023, which starts in Geneva on December 13.
The news of Raisi’s invitation to the event caused global outrage, especially among the Iranian diaspora. Supporters of the Iranian Resistance held protest rallies in many cities across the globe and called for the revocation of his attendance of the meeting. The Iranian Resistance has planned a rally in Geneva at the same time that the forum will start.
Raisi is one of the members of the Death Committee that was responsible for the execution of more than 30,000 political prisoners in 1988, most of them members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
Three PMOI supporters who were political prisoners at the time of the executions filed a legal complaint to Swiss authorities on Monday to arrest Raisi during his visit to the country and charge him with crimes against humanity connected to the 1988 massacre.
The complaint asks Swiss federal public prosecutor Andreas Muller to ensure the arrest and prosecution of Raisi “over his participation in acts of genocide, torture, extrajudicial executions and other crimes against humanity.”
One of the plaintiffs stressed that Raisi had personally told him that “his death sentence was assured” after he said that he was a supporter of the PMOI.
At the same, an open letter was sent to Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, denouncing Raisi’s attendance of the UN refugee forum. The letter—co-signed by 328 former world leaders, judges, Nobel laureates, UN officials, human rights and legal experts, and NGOs—denounced Raisi’s planned participation in the 2023 Global Refugee Forum in Geneva.
JVMI just sent @FilippoGrandi & @alain_berset an appeal co-signed by 328 former world leaders, judges, Nobel laureates, UN officials, human rights/legal experts & NGOs, denouncing Ebrahim Raisi's planned participation in the 2023 Global #RefugeeForum in Geneva#1988Massacre #Iran pic.twitter.com/B3oJAN5BLj
— Justice for the Victims of 1988 Massacre in Iran (@jvmifoundation) December 12, 2023
The letter reiterated Raisi’s role in the 1988 massacre as well as his implication in the killing of 1,500 protesters in 2019, 750 protesters in 2022, and the recent spike in executions in Iran, including at least 212 executions in the past two months alone. The letter also warns that under Raisi, the Iranian government has also engaged in a new scheme to suppress and intimidate members of the PMOI outside of Iran by holding show trials in absentia “and thus extending suppression beyond its borders.”
“We firmly believe that the United Nations, as a bastion of human rights and justice, should not compromise its reputation by extending an invitation to an individual accused of grave human rights violations,” reads the petition. “His presence at the UN forum contradicts the fundamental values the UN stands for.”
According to Agence France Press, the UN said on Monday evening that regime Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian—another murderer and terrorist—would lead the Iranian delegation, hinting that Raisi might have canceled his trip.
On Tuesday afternoon, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees confirmed to the Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA that the regime’s delegation would be headed by Amir-Abdollahian.
Although the regime has not officially confirm that Raisi did not cancel his trip due to the complaint, all signs indicate that he fears his criminal past is catching up to him. Last year, a Swedish court sentenced Hamid Noury, a former prison guard in Karaj’s Gohardasht prison, to life in prison for his role in the 1988 massacre. The court verdict set a precedent to prosecute other orchestrators and perpetrators of this crime against humanity, including key figures such as Raisi and Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
After enjoying decades of impunity for their crimes, Iranian regime leaders are now facing the reality thanks to the efforts of the Iranian Resistance movement. Wherever regime leaders go, the members of the Iranian Resistance, the survivors of the regime’s massacres, and the families of the regime’s victims will make sure that they will be held to account for their crimes.