US: Low Participation in Raisi's UN Ceremony Reflects the Position of the Islamic Republic in the World

Vedant Patel, the Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department, stated that the low attendance of countries at the memorial ceremony for Ebrahim Raisi at the UN headquarters reflects the 'position of the Islamic Republic' in the international arena. Images released from the memorial ceremony showed that many seats in the General Assembly hall were empty and few attendees participated in the event. A journalist at the press conference on Thursday, June 1, asked the Deputy Spokesperson about the absence of the United States and European countries at the memorial ceremony for Ebrahim Raisi, as well as the reasons for the low participation of countries in this program. Vedant Patel responded, saying, 'I think the low participation indicates the position of the Islamic Republic in the world and its history as the largest exporter of terrorism and its continued role in provocative, malevolent, and destabilizing activities not only in its own region but in a broader territory.' Nate Evans, spokesperson for the US delegation to the UN, had previously emphasized the US's non-participation in the ceremony, stating, 'Raisi has been involved in numerous egregious human rights violations, including the extrajudicial executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. Some of the worst human rights violations occurred during his tenure.' The Associated Press reported on the same day regarding the memorial ceremony for Ebrahim Raisi, noting that 'what happened on Thursday was very unusual as only representatives from regional groups in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean spoke at it.' The news agency emphasized that there were 'no comments from Western or Eastern European groups, or from the United States, which is usually the last representative of the host country.' According to this report, while the memorial ceremony was being held, over 100 protesters held banners in front of the UN headquarters that read: 'Shame on the UN for holding a memorial for Raisi, the butcher of Tehran.' The Associated Press also noted that prior to the General Assembly's formation, 45 current and former UN officials, experts, ambassadors, and prosecutors sent a joint letter to Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, protesting the tribute to someone involved in collective crimes. Earlier, Narges Mohammadi, a imprisoned activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, condemned the UN's plan to honor Raisi, describing it as 'a day of honoring gallows, executions, and mass killings against the people of Iran.' Shirin Ebadi, a lawyer and the first Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner, also criticized the memorial program for Raisi on Friday, June 4, deeming it contrary to UN protocols. Additionally, dozens of families of victims, women's rights activists, and Iranian human rights advocates protested the international body's plan to commemorate Ebrahim Raisi, the former president of Iran, in an open letter to Dennis Francis, President of the UN General Assembly.