Analysis by PMOI/MEK
Iran, August 6, 2021—Ebrahim Raisi was sworn in in the Majlis (parliament) as the eighth president of the mullahs’ regime on Thursday. Raisi was appointed as president after the June 18 election, which was boycotted by more than 90 percent of the population.
The ceremony was accompanied by the semi-shutdown of Tehran and the heavy presence of security forces across the capital and other cities in the country. Raisi’s inauguration took place while the regime scrambling to contain the explosive state of the society in wake of nationwide protests that lasted for more than two weeks, and it is afraid that the ceremony will trigger more protests.
In his speech, Raisi claimed that he will make Iran stronger and engage with the world. He spoke of “diplomacy and constructive and extensive engagement with the world,” “friendship and brotherhood” with the countries of the region, and criticized the presence of foreign troops on any soil while in the same breath he described the Iranian regime’s presence in the region as a source of security, peace, and stability.
Like his predecessors, Raisi claimed that his regime’s nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, and perhaps more blatantly, he professed that he is a defender of human rights.
But four decades of the mullahs’ rule and Raisi’s own history indicate that nothing will change with his coming to presidency.
The regime has proven time and again that, regardless of who is sitting in president’s office, it will continue to disregard international norms and values, it will export terrorism to the countries of the region, and will continue to abuse the Iranian people’s most basic rights to keep the mullahs in power. Raisi himself has had more than his fair share in the regime’s crimes by playing a key role in the 1988 massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners.
On the same day that Raisi was inaugurated, a virtual panel hosted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) discussed the implications of Raisi’s presidency and how the world should respond.
Former Senator Joseph Lieberman said at the conference that the U.S. “has a critical leadership role to play” in holding Raisi accountable for past crimes as well as modeling a more assertive posture toward the regime that elevated him to its second highest office.
Geoffrey Robertson, QC, discussed details of the 1988 massacre which he had accumulated through eyewitness interviews and official documents obtained when he undertook one of the first professional investigations into the killings. Robertson stated unequivocally that the 1988 massacre was the worst crime against humanity to be directed against prisoners since the end of World War II.
Virtual Briefing: Challenges Posed by Ebrahim Raisi, a Recognized Mass Murderer
New book released: "IRAN: Call for Justice; The Case to Hold Ebrahim Raisi to Account for Crimes Against Humanity"
AUG 5 – 11 AM EDT 5:00 PM CEST#Iran #ProsecuteRaisiNOW https://t.co/REzFFAkiBU— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 5, 2021
Former US Attorney General Michael Mukasey called for sanctions under the Magnitsky Act to “impede the ability of Raisi to function” while also bringing greater international attention to the crimes of the Iranian regime. He also emphasized the need to support popular protests in Iran that call for regime change.
Since Raisi’s presidency, human rights organizations have been raising alarm about his human rights abuses and crimes.
Following the June 18 election, Amnesty International condemned Raisi’s so-called election and described it a prime example of the regime’s impunity in matters relating to human rights.
On the eve of Raisi’s inauguration, Amnesty reiterated the need to be investigated for his crimes against humanity during the 1988 massacre.
Crimes against humanity loom large over Ebrahim Raisi’s inauguration as president of #Iran. We continue to call for him to be criminally investigated for his role in past and ongoing crimes against humanity related to #1988Massacre pic.twitter.com/PJlZJxTsF4
— Amnesty EU (@AmnestyEU) August 4, 2021
Amnesty also condemned states and political entities that sent delegations for Raisi’s inauguration. “The international community, including the EU, which is sending Enrique Mora to Raisi’s inauguration, must publicly demonstrate its commitment to fight against systematic impunity in Iran for extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, and torture,” Amnesty said in a statement.
The int’l community, including the #EU, which is sending @enriquemora_ to Raisi’s inauguration, must publicly demonstrate its commitment to fight against systematic impunity in #Iran for extrajudicial executions & other unlawful killings, enforced disappearances & torture.
— Amnesty EU (@AmnestyEU) August 4, 2021
Raisi, a perpetrator of crimes against humanity, is now the official president of the mullahs’ regime. But unsurprisingly, his presidency changes nothing about the nature of the regime. It is just a reflection of what the regime has always been. It is now time for politicians to decide whether how they will deal with a regime that has revealed its true colors.
