Continued Protests Against Government Approaches Following the Death of Ebrahim Raisi; 'Rainbow' Organizations Publish Open Letter

A group of activists and 'rainbow' organizations published an open letter protesting the approach of some governments regarding the death of Ebrahim Raisi and his associates. In their letter, they referred to Ebrahim Raisi as the 'President of the inhumane and anti-gay regime' of the Islamic Republic, and listed some of his human rights violations in Iran, stating: 'It is regrettable that while the news of his death and that of his associates has met with a wave of joy among the people of Iran both inside and outside the country, some of you politicians and government representatives have sent messages of condolence and sympathy in the name of the people of Iran to Ali Khamenei.' They also described Ebrahim Raisi as a key pillar of the execution and repression machine of the Islamic Republic and emphasized: 'Raisi's role in the execution and killing of homosexuals and queer individuals who died unjustly in the regime's courts is undeniable. He has repeatedly expressed his enmity towards homosexuals, queers, and women in Iran and has used various domestic and international platforms to spread hatred and promote homophobia and queerphobia.' The 'rainbow' activists and organizations further noted in their letter: 'Now that the world's attention is on the news from Iran and the killing of these criminals, we must speak more about the abhorrence and depth of the atrocities committed by Ebrahim Raisi against women, the LGBT community, and society as a whole, while you politicians send condolence messages, which is a disgrace to the global community and human rights and a blatant insult to all women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and the people who have risen to overthrow the Islamic Republic.' Following the death of Ebrahim Raisi, the eighth president of the Islamic Republic, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Foreign Minister, and Al Hashem, the representative of Ali Khamenei in East Azerbaijan Province, along with other associates, expressed condolences regarding the helicopter crash that killed them, with condolences also coming from some Western countries and organizations, including the European Union, the United Nations, and the United States. These condolence messages faced widespread protests from numerous politicians and human rights groups, particularly in the United States, where mainly Republican politicians condemned President Joe Biden's condolences for the death of the thirteenth president of the Islamic Republic, referring to Ebrahim Raisi as the 'Butcher of Tehran.' However, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded to the criticisms regarding the condolences for Raisi's death, stating that Washington's position towards Tehran has not changed and that the U.S. State Department has previously expressed condolences for Raisi's death. Shayan Samiei: 'The death of Raisi was a governmental elimination; factions within the regime have turned against each other.'