Narges Mohammadi: Commemorating Raisi at the UN is 'Honoring Gallows and Mass Executions'

Following the announcement of a ceremony to commemorate Ebrahim Raisi, scheduled for June 1 at the United Nations, Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, condemned the action, describing it as a 'day of honoring gallows, executions, and mass killings against the people of Iran.' This imprisoned human rights activist criticized this decision on her official Instagram page on Tuesday, June 27, stating: 'When world governments place a blatant human rights violator and the executioner of Iran's history in a position as if they have lost a peaceful and democratic human, one should not expect that dictators, oppressors, human rights violators, torturers, and deadly executioners will not emerge elsewhere in the world.' Ms. Mohammadi further emphasized that 'human rights violators' will be assured by this UN action that 'on the day of their death, the UN flag will be half-mast, and world politicians and statesmen will express their condolences.' Criticizing the UN's action, she stated that this would mean 'the voices of the defenseless and oppressed protesting people will hit the wall of diplomatic relations and the historical actions of governments.' The Nobel Peace Prize winner expressed sorrow over this UN action as a 'refuge for nations' regarding the human rights situation that remains 'alone and defenseless' and for peace that remains 'silent' and for 'the people of Iran.' At the end of this message, Ms. Mohammadi asserted: 'We, the proud people of Iran, are well aware and witnesses that Raisi, both in the 1980s as a member of the death committee that created the Khavaran graves and in recent years when he was named the head of the Islamic Republic with minimal elections and orchestrated the suppression and massacre of protesters during the glorious Mahsa uprising, sits in the position of a historical criminal of our land.' Previously, the announcement of the ceremony honoring Ebrahim Raisi at the UN had faced significant criticism. Shirin Ebadi, a lawyer and the first Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner, on Friday, June 4, stated in a post on her Instagram account that this 'potential claim of the United Nations' that the memorial ceremony is exclusive to the highest-ranking official of each country is against the protocols of this organization. This lawyer and human rights activist urged the Secretary-General and the President of the UN General Assembly to recognize Ebrahim Raisi as the 'Butcher of Iran' and 'Tehran's butcher' as the people of Iran refer to him after his death and not to 'mock' their subordinate institutions and committees, including the fact-finding committee. 23 organizations and activists in the field of LGBTQ+ rights also issued a statement on Friday, June 4, addressing these politicians and government representatives, stating: 'Your action is a disgrace to the global community and human rights.' Meanwhile, on Tuesday, May 21, a minute of silence was observed in the UN Security Council in honor of Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash, and the UN flag in New York was flown at half-mast, an action that also faced protests from some world leaders and members of the Republican Party in the United States. Ebrahim Raisi is notorious for his role as a member of the 'Death Committee' in the mass execution of political prisoners at the end of the Iran-Iraq War in the summer of 1988, and he has been subject to US sanctions. Furthermore, many consider Ebrahim Raisi one of those responsible for the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody in September 2022 for allegedly violating the mandatory hijab law. The UN fact-finding committee has stated that it holds Iranian officials responsible for the 'physical violence' leading to Mahsa Amini's death. The widespread suppression of protests following Mahsa Amini's death has reportedly resulted in at least 500 deaths and over 22,000 arrests. Ebrahim Raisi died on May 30 in a helicopter crash in East Azerbaijan along with the foreign minister and several others.