Raisi, a hard-line conservative cleric, helped escalate military tensions around Europe and the Middle East and oversaw strict enforcement of women’s dress codes.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, known for enforcing brutal crackdowns on political opposition and seen as a potential successor to the supreme leader, has died in a helicopter crash landing in the country’s north, state media reported Monday.
Raisi was sometimes notably referred to as the “Butcher of Tehran,” as activists have accused him of being one of the four judges who oversaw the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 after the Iran-Iraq war.
“As deputy prosecutor general of Tehran,” the U.S. Treasury Department said in a 2019 sanctions announcement, “Raisi participated in a so-called ‘death commission’ that ordered the extrajudicial executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988.”
“Ebrahim Raisi’s rise to the presidency follows an electoral process that was conducted in a highly repressive environment and barred women, members of religious minorities and candidates with opposing views from running for office,” Callamard said.
The Iranian regime is also accused of blocking social media apps, arresting journalists and punishing any public criticism of the government following Amini’s death.
Despite concerns over Iran’s attacks on human rights, Raisi was permitted to address the U.N. General Assembly last year, where he criticized Western states for meddling in Middle Eastern affairs.
The original article contains 1,104 words, the summary contains 201 words. Saved 82%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
They've already blamed the United States as a contributor. Apparently they are flying around in 20 year old helicopters that they can't buy parts for due to US sanctions.