On May 20th, Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran for a year, died. Along with two pilots and six other people. Among them was Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that Raisi “died as a martyr serving his country.” Iranian media outlets presented images and videos to demonstrate his popularity during his remembrance ceremony. According to the head of Iran’s state broadcaster, millions of people flocked to Tehran in order to attend the late president’s funeral.
Compelled Grief in Iran
“In a country where there are no real polls and free elections, they are forced to seek legitimacy in crowds around coffins,” exiled Iranian journalist Mohammad Javed Akbarin commented on an online post. In Iran, according to Akbarin, not everyone has the right to assemble freely.
Indeed, after Raisi’s death was confirmed, Iran’s judiciary warned that “any acts of protest which jeopardize national security and hurt the emotions of grievers will be punished.”
In fact, this is no idle threat as Manizheh Moazen’s case demonstrates.Per Raisi’s death she reposted a tweet emphasizing on how he played a role in mass executions of political prisoners during 1980s.
“I have been charged by the judiciary with reacting to Ebrahim Reisi’s death,” she wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
A Path Built On Blood
“He never regretted what he did”, said Shadi Amin (a writer) who had fled from Germany where he is now based. She currently specializes in assisting LGBTQ+ persons from minority groups that originate from Iran.
“Raisi has played a significant role over 40 years in implementing policies of Islamic Republic mainly aimed at suppressing civil population,” she added.
He passed away aged sixty-three. At an early age when he joined the judiciary directly after the 1979 Islamic revolution as a young cleric. This saw him quickly joining the so-called death commissions that were responsible for murdering tens of thousands of political prisoners. After that, he worked his way up to being a judge and became head of the judiciary in 2019, finally becoming president in 2021.
Raisi defended his track record in Iran’s judiciary during an interview following election 2021.
“Those who defend people’s security should be praised; this is true for judges, prosecutors and lawyers,” he told journalists when questioned about mass murders in the 1980s.
EU condolences ‘big disappointment’
As president, Ebrahim Raisi played a key role in suppressing protests against Iranian regime that broke out all over Iran including ones after Jina Mahsa Amini died on September of 2022.
“He justified misogynistic laws like compulsory hijab for women,” said Shadi Amin.
At the same time, Shadi Amin notes that Iran’s religious leaders have final say on almost any subject within the country.
“Recently, enough people have been absorbed into this system like Raisi and can act brutally against the civilian population,” Amin said. “The only thing I regret is the condolences from the European Union and international organizations to a mass murderer like him. This is very disappointing for Iranian women and its population.”
