Iran Focus
London, 24 Apr – The Iranian Regime has put a notorious human rights abuser on the ballot for their upcoming Presidential elections; proving that there is no moderate faction within the Regime.
Ebrahim Raisi, a member of the Death Commissions which sent 30,000 political prisoners, mainly members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK), to their death in 1988, announced his candidacy last week.
Reza Shafiee, a member of Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), wrote an op-ed on Raisi’s candidacy for Forbes.
He wrote that Raisi was a low-level cleric in 1988 but, after helping the Regime in its attempt to exterminate its political opponents, was able to progress quickly. Now, Raisi, a close confidant of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is in charge of a wealthy and power foundation and is one of those in the running to succeed Khamenei.
Those executed were subject to kangaroo court trials, where they were asked the only one question: What is your political affiliation? The political prisoners were hanged en-mass, buried in secret, mass graves and their fate was hidden from the public for nearly thirty years.
Finally in 2016, an audio tape was leaked of Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, who was at the time the successor to the Supreme Leader, voicing his objections to the Death Commission that Raisi served on.
Montazeri reprimanded the Commission for committing a crime against humanity but his comments led to him being placed under house arrest until his death in 2009.
Montazeri said: “The greatest crime committed during the reign of the Islamic Republic, for which history will condemn us, has been committed by you. Your names will in the future be etched in the annals of history as criminals.”
The release of this tape by Montazeri’s son, led to many governments across the world, including Canada, condemning the massacre and calling for those responsible to be brought before the International Criminal Court.
Shafiee wrote: “Ebrahim Raisis and his ilk should not be allowed to escape the consequences of their crimes against humanity. Bringing him to justice will set an example that the U.S. and the rest of the world will not forget.”
Raisi served on the same Death Commission as Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, the current Justice Minister who has claimed to be ‘proud’ of his role in the massacre.
Shafiee wrote: “The elections in Iran – for parliament or president — have been designed…by the regime’s inner circles for both internal and external consumption. However, after the nuclear deal with the West, it has become much more significant for the regime since it wants to display a popularity show at home and sell it to rest of the world. It is no secret that the regime has no popular support in Iran.”
With 11 million unemployed Iranians, 10 million in poverty, and three active wars in the middle east (Iraq, Syria, and Yemen), the Regime is deeply unpopular with its people.
