Reporting by PMOI/MEK
July 13, 2021—The international community must hold Ebrahim Raisi, the new president of the Iranian regime, to account for his crimes against humanity, politicians from around the world emphasized on the third and final day of the Free Iran 2021 World Summit.
Raisi, a key figure in the 1988 massacre of Iranian political prisoners, has become notoriously renowned as the “henchman of 1988.” He is sanctioned in the U.S. and Europe for his human rights abuses. And the speakers at the Free Iran conference urged their governments not to deal with a regime whose head of state is a murderer.
“As far as the international community is concerned, this is a test of whether it will engage and deal with this genocidal regime or whether it will stand with the Iranian people,” said Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), in her address to the conference.
“We say to the world community, especially to Western governments, that Mullah Raisi is a criminal guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity in 1988.
“On behalf of the Iranian people and their Resistance, I emphasize that the United Nations and the international community should recognize the 1988 massacre in Iran as genocide and a crime against humanity.
“I call on the UN Security Council to take action to hold the leaders of the mullahs' regime, especially Ali Khamenei, Raisi, and Ejeii, accountable for committing genocide and crimes against humanity. The United Nations must not allow Raisi to participate in the next session of the General Assembly. This would be an unforgivable insult to the peoples of all countries who send their representatives to the United Nations.”
Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
“Now the great choice will be in the family of nations. Will they take a stand?” said Senator Robert Torricelli “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. Take a stand!”
“The choice just made by the Ayatollah has in many ways to me better indication of just how fragile this regime is, and just how close this regime is to collapse,” Rudy Giuliani, Mayor of New York City (1994-2001). “That's a sign that you really feel that things are moving against you, and you have to become as brutal as possible. The selection of Raisi is exactly that.”
.@RudyGiuliani@Maryam_Rajavi, you are an obsessive compulsion for Khamenei. You are an obsessive compulsion for them, you are an obsessive compulsion for all of the criminals that run #Iran.#FreeIran2021https://t.co/mRnmt3FXyM
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 12, 2021
“We cannot stand for the 1988 massacre. The United Nations and the European Council must do more,” said Enda Kenny, Prime Minister of Ireland (2011-2017). “The United Nations, European Council, the Council of Europe, and every government doing business with Iran must consistently raise the question of human rights and the infringement of those rights by this autocratic government.”
MEP Guy Verhofstadt, who served as the Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008, raised the challenges of dealing with an Iranian regime headed by Raisi. “I highly doubt that Raisi will be supportive of nuclear inspections. We should not expect Iran to open up to the West. Raisi in fact hates our democratic values,” he said.
Senator Joseph Lieberman stipulated that Raisi’s presidency will be a wakeup call for the West and in the U.S., politicians must work to lead the Biden administration to “stop trying to negotiate with the evil government in Tehran and start supporting the people of Iran who want to overthrow it.”
“Raisi’s presidency ends the game of Iranian moderation,” he said. “That is why I believe the reality of Iran today leaves the people of Iran with only one option for a better life for themselves and their children, and that is regime change. Each of us who live outside Iran must now decide and plan what will we do to support the Iranian Resistance as it rises up in revolution.”
The regime's constant references and warnings about the MEK reveal its fear of the MEK and the NCRI. The NCRI and MEK are committed to enabling the people of #Iran to choose their leaders in a free election.#FreeIran2021https://t.co/8xycPylVFA
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 12, 2021
“How can the free world, the world of democracies that supposedly values human life, negotiate with a regime of murders? How can the leaders of countries like the United States, which often talks about the importance of human rights, sit across the table from Raisi whose role in the 1988 massacre is well established?” said Garry Kasparov, World Chess Champion, Pro-democratic political activist. “The international community must bring maximum pressure on the Iranian regime to isolate its leaders and to support those fighting for democracy and human rights in Iran. To do anything less is to forget the crimes of the past, ignore the crimes of the present, and to enable the crimes of the future.”
The international community must bring maximum pressure on the regime & support those fighting for democracy and human rights in Iran. To do anything less is to forget the crimes of the past, to ignore the crimes of the present, and to enable the crimes of the future.
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) July 12, 2021
“I have a message for Ebrahim Raisi: you are not a legitimate leader, and you are not a legitimately elected president. The Iranian people will hold you to account for your actions and the world will hold you accountable for the blood on your hands,” said John Baird, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs (2011-2015).
“Even if [Raisi] did accept a compromise on issues like the nuclear program, ballistic missiles, and destabilizing activities in the region, the question remains: should Europe turn its back to its democratic human rights principles and hold dialogue with a man who is a criminal against humanity?” Audronius Ažubalis, Foreign Minister of Lithuania from 2010 to 2012. “We have to push for President Raisi to be investigated by the International Court of Justice for crimes against humanity, including murder, forced disappearance, and torture.”
“The election of Raisi reveals the true tragic nature of the Iranian regime. It is a true insult to the memory of the 1988 massacre victims and an insult to their families,” said Gilbert Mitterrand, President of the French Human Rights organization Foundation France Libertes. “This election is also an admission of the regime that is in place only through terror. It is also a challenge to international diplomacy and France in particular. It is a challenge that shows the Iranian regime who will always stand against human rights.”
“[Raisi’s] elevation through a staged electoral charade obliges all of us, our governments, and our news media correspondence to face the truth and to speak the truth,” said Amb. Lincoln Bloomfield, Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs of the U.S. (2001-2005). “There will never be peace, warmer relations, or robust trade with Iran under this regime.”
[Raisi's] elevation through a staged electoral charade obliges all of us, our governments, and our news media correspondence to face the truth and to speak the truth.#Iran#FreeIran2021https://t.co/1PqMC2g8Ys
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 12, 2021
