Ebrahim Raisi

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“”Iran’s new president, known as the Butcher of Tehran, is an extremist responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iranians. He is committed to the regime's nuclear ambitions and to its campaign of global terror.

—Yair Lapid[1]

Ebrahim Raisolsadati, commonly known as Ebrahim Raisi (1960–2024), was the president of Iran from 2021 to 2024. He was a sayyid, a descendant of Muhammad (which are identified by wearing a black turban). Prior to his stint as president, he was also an Islamic jurist as well. Despite having presented himself as a moderate and an anti-corruption leader, he was an Islamist[2] and a fascist[3] responsible for grave human rights abuses and had overseen political repressions throughout his tenure as president and as a politician.[4]

As prosecutor general of Tehran between 1989 and 1994, Raisi earned the nickname Butcher of Tehran due to his role in overseeing the execution of thousands of political prisoners (among other crimes).[5] Unsurprisingly, his penchant for rule by violence continued into his presidency — after the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 (who was killed after morality police detained her for allegedly not wearing the hijab properly), the government of Raisi violently suppressed protesters, enforced an Internet blackout, arrested journalists, and punished any public criticism of the government.[6]

Raisi’s theocratic politics, macho strongman posturing, brutal political repression campaigns, and nationalistic racism have been noted by several commentators to be a light form of fascism, not dissimilar to American religious fascism or Hindutva.[7][8][9][10][11]

While an ardent Islamist and in many ways an Iranian/Persian fascist, Raisi was very much an apparatchik who did whatever pleased Khamenei so he could burnish his cred in the run up to Khamenei's inevitable succession. He became world-famous after launching the largest drone and missile attack in history[12] against Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike[13] that killed an Iranian general in 2024.

Many thought Raisi was the man most likely to succeed Khamenei as Supreme Leader of Iran, but he would never get the chance. In May 2024, Raisi was killed in an accidental helicopter crash. He traveled to the border with Azerbaijan to inaugurate a new water dam with the Azeri president. On his way back, the terrain was a dense mountainous forest which turned foggy. Instead of waiting until the fog dissipated, Raisi's helicopter tried to fly through the fog, and as you can imagine, was unable to handle the strong winds. Raisi and the foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, were both killed in the crash.[14] People inside Iran and outside the country were in no mood to mourn a monster, with many Iranians in the diaspora and in the country openly celebrating the death of the butcher.[15] Even Trump chimed in and lauded his death, stating that he “died like a dog”, which was condemned by pro-regime supporters and even neutral figures, such as India Today.[16] Although several other world leaders did send condolences, such as Putin, Xi, and even Modi.

## Contents

* 1 Rise to power
* 2 Becoming president
* 3 Theocracy
* 4 Antisemitism and Holocaust denial
* 5 Anti-Christian bigotry
* 6 Homophobia
* 7 Misogyny
* 8 Politicide
* 9 Friendliness with fellow authoritarians
* 10 General human rights violations
* 11 Undignified end
* 12 See also
* 13 References

## Rise to power[edit]

Raisi was born to a clerical family in Mashhad and was educated in Islamic studies under Ruhollah Khomeini himself. He became the Prosecutor of Karaj and Hamadan in 1981, and was appointed as Prosecutor of Hamadan Province after four months. During the 1980s, he was responsible for ordering the execution and slaughter of thousands of protesters.[17]

Raisi campaigned as an opponent of then-president Hassan Rouhani. After Raisi was elected, many opposed his ascendancy to power, including former Iranian president Ahmadinejad, who called out Raisi for his extremism.[18]

## Becoming president[edit]

Rouhani was term-limited in 2021, but by then, his faction had no chance at winning again. Khamenei, frustrated with the reform camp, threw his support behind former Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi, a longtime hardliner who previously lost to Rouhani in 2017.

Raisi was elected president during the 2021 election in Iran, beating Mohsen Rezaee and Abdonnaser Hemmati. From there, he continued to paint himself as an anti-corruption politician, and dealt poorly with the COVID-19 pandemic in the country[4] (which was not entirely his fault as the country failed to respond properly to initial cases in 2020). However, he did little to change the policies and efficiently deal with COVID-19, even lamenting that the country was lagging behind in dealing with the pandemic.[19]

## Theocracy[edit]

Raisi was an ultra-religious reactionary and a theocrat who believed Iran is a Muslim country and should remain so as such.[20] This belief was shown when he and his administration had made baseless claims that Iran is a “proudly” Muslim-majority country, despite evidence from polls and surveys conducted privately showing otherwise.[21][22] Raisi ruled with an iron fist under the will of the Ayatollah, instilling his religious views into the government, though he had also done his fair share of damage to Iranian democracy.[23]

An example of Raisi’s extreme adherence to sharia law was his brutal crackdowns on young protestors since the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, especially women who engaged in protests by removing their hijabs to show their hair and burned their hijabs as a rebellious sign of protest.[24] This was the single most intense period of modern Iranian history post-revolution; people displayed acts of civil disobedience that were frankly not seen since the Shah. The Amini protests were analogues to the George Floyd protests over in America, with many calling it the biggest threat to the regime in its history as an Islamic Republic. While many were killed and arrested, most were pardoned a year after the protests. [25] [26]

## Antisemitism and Holocaust denial[edit]

Raisi made several statements denying the Holocaust. In an interview with the United States television show 60 Minutes, he downplayed the Holocaust and claimed that "there are some signs that it happened but it should be investigated further".[27][28] Because of his antisemitic statements, he received praise from white nationalists and neo-Nazis in the West (despite being an actual Aryan country, though this is why Iran is universally praised by the alt-right).[29][30]

In 2022, during protests by young Iranians against the tyranny of the Islamic regime, Raisi blamed the protests on America and the Zionist regime attempting to undermine Iran.[31]

## Anti-Christian bigotry[edit]

Despite Raisi claiming to be friendly to Christian leaders in Western countries, his regime has been as bigoted against Christians as it has been against Jews.[32] Christians and other religious minorities are some of the first religious minority groups to feel the oppressive thumb of the Iranian government.[33]

Several human rights organizations reported that Raisi's administration imprisoned religious minorities such as atheists, deists, agnostics, Hindus, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Bahai's, Christians, and Jews among other groups on the basis of their religious identity.[34] UN experts stated that disturbing cases of religious persecution rose after Raisi took office.[35]

## Homophobia[edit]

Raisi referred to the LGBT community as "savagery" and advocated for allowing the death penalty on gay citizens.[36] The Iranian government led harassment campaigns against its gay and trans citizens and falsely charged them simply for being themselves.[37] Raisi also sanctioned the execution of LGBT citizens and activists for spreading what he claims as "degeneracy".[38]

Raisi praised other homophobic leaders and dictatorships (such as Uganda) and attacked the West for their acceptance of LGBT rights.[39][40][41]

In spite of harsh treatment within the country, Iran’s LGBTQ+ community (including LGBT allies) has been going strong against government crackdowns, especially since the protests against the death of Mahsa Amini.[42]

## Misogyny[edit]

Raisi was known for his abhorrent record on women’s rights on safety in Iran. He and his administration were responsible for the rise of violent attacks against women and girls, especially after the anti-hijab protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the morality police. Iranian women protesting against the regime have been kidnapped, tortured, and killed, only creating more anger within the country and for the country's women.[43] Some of the crimes Raisi was responsible for were (just to name a few) the execution of 30 women, the slaughter of 400 women, the torture of 36 women, and the lashing of 24 women.[44]

## Politicide[edit]

Raisi called for politicides of his opponents, suppressing dissent from those he saw as not aligned with the regime. An example of this was the 1988 executions, when he carried out a mass murder of political opponents under the order of Ruhollah Khomeini.[45][46] Raisi also ordered a heavy internet crackdown and had most of the internet blocked within the country (meaning no access to sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.).[47]

Since the protests that began in September 2022, Raisi cracked down heavily on the protestors, heavily monitoring them and their families and sanctioning torturing them to death.[48] These authoritarian actions and his arch-conservative style of governance had led him to be labeled as a fascist and compared to fascists like Hitler.[49]

## Friendliness with fellow authoritarians[edit]

Raisi had been friendly with fellow fascists such as Bashar al-Assad[50] and Erdoğan (two other Islamist dictators),[51] as well as Modi (an Islamophobe and the leader of another actual Aryan country).[52] Raisi called for establishing relations with Saudi Arabia and their leaders during times of lessening tensions between the two countries as a result of the foreign policy incompetence of the United States and aid from China to strengthen ties.[53][54] Despite this possible chance of a relationship, Iran has adopted the ideological position of anti-Arabism from the Pan-Iranist Party during the proxy conflict with Saudi Arabia.[55][56]

Putin and Xi are two other dictators who have had warm relations with Raisi. Raisi traveled to China and Russia to meet with Xi and Putin respectively to strengthen ties between Iran and the two countries as a way to counter America and the West with their own power and influence. Raisi had also supported Putin and his invasion of Ukraine by supplying Russia with weapons in addition to meeting with and calling Putin to state his support for his military actions[57] and establishing deeper ties and relationships between the two countries.[58][59] This is mostly because both countries are opposed to the West because of crippling sanctions and anti-American sentiment from the government, and the war gives Iran an advantage to supply its oil to Russia and boost its unstable economy. However, it's likely only a matter of time until Iran pulls its support for Russia much like every other country has done, as supporting a pariah state is the worst decision you can possibly make for your own country.[60]

## General human rights violations[edit]

Raisi was responsible for a number of human rights violations and has been called to be tried in international court by Amnesty International.[61] His invitation to the US and his subsequent speech at the United Nations General Assembly was heavily criticized by human rights groups and by people on the left and the right.[62][63]

Despite Raisi ranting about human rights in a speech he made at the UN headquarters (with an iota of legitimate criticism from western hypocrisy), his own forces suppressed dissent and human rights in Iran.[64] Because of his extremism, many observers of the events worldwide worried about the possible events that could unfold as Iran's access to nuclear armament could easily set off a war in the region not unlike the war in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.[65]

Raisi’s general treatment of Iranian citizens was criticized by various world leaders outside the West as well, brought to the attention of the media from Iranian dissidents. Another example of his blatant disregard for human life was the spat between him and the Azerbaijani forces, so the Azerbaijani president cancelled a meeting with the Iranian leader due to tensions with Iran and their leaders which led to the deaths of several hundred soldiers on both sides.[66]

## Undignified end[edit]

After Raisi disappeared into the foggy mountains, his status was unknown at the time while there was a search and rescue operation under way. After several hours of searching by Iranian authorities, his body was found and he was confirmed dead, with many news outlets euphemistically calling the crash a "hard landing".[67]

Why Raisi's helicopter crashed is unknown, but one main theory is that the old craft malfunctioned. US sanctions have made spare parts difficult for Iran to obtain for aircraft in general, which often fly without safety checks.[68] Poor weather conditions may also have made the flight risky. Sabotage however can't be excluded as another possibility.[69] Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif pointed to the sanctions, in that way blaming the US for the crash.[68]

## See also[edit]

* Mahmoud Ahmedinejad \- another Iranian fascist who served as president.
* Ali Khamenei \- his commander and superior.
* Mohammad Hosseini \- another sayyid and Iranian fascist.

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Israel says Iran's Raisi extreme, committed to nuclear programme Reuters
2. ↑ Iran's Ebrahim Raisi: The hardline cleric who became president. BBC, 5 August 2021.
3. ↑ Baria Alamuddin, The ayatollahs appointed a murderous fascist … let’s treat them accordingly. Arab News, 27 June 2021.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Miriam Berger, What to know about Ebrahim Raisi, the front-runner in Iran’s presidential election. Archived from The Washington Post, 16 June 2021.
5. ↑ "Who Is Ebrahim Raisi? Iran’s President—Nicknamed ‘Butcher Of Tehran’—Dies In Helicopter Crash." by Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 2024 May 20
6. ↑ "Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, known for brutal crackdowns against political opposition, dies at 63" by Doha Madani, NBC News, 2024 May 20
7. ↑ Mullahs’ Regime Representative Appointed Vice President of UNGA: Threat to Human Rights and International Peace NCRI 2nd June 2023
8. ↑ DEBATES POST-FASCISM AND THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN The Philosophical Salon Nadir Lahiji
9. ↑ Iran’s Nazi-Fascism and How You Can Help Fight It AEI By Danielle Pletka, January 13, 2010
10. ↑ The Coming End Of Islamic Fascism In Iran Forbes.com Jul 22, 2010,02:15pm EDT
11. ↑ To Defeat the Islamic Fascism of Iran and Turkey, We Must Delegitimize the Ideology Providence By Nadine Maenza & Brandon H. Wheeler on January 3, 2020
12. ↑ "Why and how did Iran launch a historic attack on Israel?" Maziar Motamedi, 14 April 2024, Al Jazeera
13. ↑ "Israeli strike on Iran’s consulate in Syria killed 2 generals and 5 other officers, Iran says," KAREEM CHEHAYEB AND ALBERT AJI, Associated Press
14. ↑ Iran's President Raisi killed in helicopter crash CNN
15. ↑ [https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/may/20/people-are-in-no-mood-to-mourn-mixed-reactions-in-tehran-after-death-of-president-ebrahim-raisi "People are in no mood to mourn: mixed reactions in Tehran after death of President Ebrahim Raisi," Deepa Parent, 20 May 2024, The Guardian
16. ↑ Donald Trump's disgusting 'died like a dog' jibe at Raisi Facebook India Today
17. ↑ Iran’s president-elect, Ebrahim Raisi, is hardliner linked with mass executions The Guardian Patrick Wintour Sat 19 Jun 2021 07.07 EDT
18. ↑ Iran election: Hardliner Raisi will become president BBC 19 June 2021
19. ↑ Raisi Tells First Cabinet Meeting That Iran Is 'Seriously Lagging Behind' As Virus Woes Mount Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 26 2021
20. ↑ Join Protest Against Iran President Raisi at UN on September 21 International Emergency Campaign to Free Iran's Political Prisoners Now, Campaign Update September 4, 2022
21. ↑ Why Is Iran’s Secular Shift So Hard to Believe? How two researchers got to the heart of a polling problem: the skewing effect of fear. Intelligencer
22. ↑ Survey Zoroastrians: Online Religious Identification in the Islamic Republic of Iran Wiley Online Library
23. ↑ Iran: The Riddle of Raisi International Crisis Group 05 AUGUST 2021
24. ↑ ‘War On Women’ Intensifies With Hijab Crackdown In Iran Iran International
25. ↑ "Fresh protests erupt in Iran’s universities and Kurdish region," Agence France-Presse, Sun 6 November 2022
26. ↑ "Iran: One year after the death of Mahsa Amini," Maziar Motamedi, 16 Sep 2023, Al Jazeera
27. ↑ ‘Some signs’: Iran’s president casts doubt on Holocaust, calls Israel ‘false regime’ The Times of Israel By Michael Bachner, 19 September 2022, 6:53 am
28. ↑ Iran’s Raisi says research needed to verify if Holocaust happened The Jerusalem Post SEPTEMBER 19, 2022
29. ↑ How Not to Talk About the Holocaust The Atlantic Yair Rosenberg
30. ↑ Ebrahim Raisi’s predictable ‘CBS News’ performance Jewish Chronicle September 21 2022
31. ↑ Khamenei Blames Iran Protests on U.S. and 'Zionist Regime' Haaretz Oct 3, 2022
32. ↑ What will a Raisi presidency mean for Iran’s Christians? Article Eighteen 22 June 2021
33. ↑ Fears for Christians in Iran after hardliner Raisi wins election Premier Christian News Jun 19 2021 by Donna Birrell
34. ↑ Iran’s New President Poses a Great Threat to Religious Minorities Religious Freedom Institute July 8 2021
35. ↑ Iran: UN experts alarmed by escalating religious persecution OHCHR 22 August 2022
36. ↑ Iran president Raisi said homosexuality is ‘nothing but savagery’ The Jerusalem Post By Benjamin Weinthal, August 25, 2021
37. ↑ The Farda Briefing: Iranian Authorities Crack Down On LGBT Community Radio Free Liberty/Radio Europe September 07, 2022 12:38 By Golnaz Esfandiari
38. ↑ Iran sentences 2 LGBTQ rights activists to death for "spreading corruption on earth," rights groups say CBS News September 5, 2022 / 11:58 AM EDT / AFP
39. ↑ On Uganda Visit, Iran’s President Praises Country’s Harsh Anti- LGBTQ Law VOA News July 13, 2023 5:31 PM By Halima Athumani
40. ↑ "Acting Against Inheritance": Iran President Attacks West On LGBTQ Rights 'NDTV World July 13, 2023 4:32 am IST
41. ↑ In Uganda, Iranian President Attacks West On LGBT Rights Radio Free Liberty/Radio Europe July 12, 2023 19:35 GMT
42. ↑ Iran protests: LGBTQ community rises up BBC News By Khosro Kalbasi Isfahani 19 April 2023
43. ↑ How Misogyny Imperiled Iran’s Regime Foreign Policy By Farzaneh Milani OCTOBER 14, 2022, 5:13 PM
44. ↑ Record of Ebrahim Raisi in the Oppression of Women NCRI June `6, 2021
45. ↑ Iran Head of Judiciary’s First Year Marred by Political Executions Iran Human Rights 3 Apr 21
46. ↑ Raisi: Role in 1988 Massacre The Iran Primer By Andrew Hanna July 21 2021
47. ↑ How Iran Is Using the Protests to Block More Open Internet Access Scientific American By Sophie Bushwick, October 13, 2022
48. ↑ 'This is a revolution': Iran 'fascists' on alert after firebomb attack on Ayatollah's home Express By CIARAN MCGRATH 06:55, Mon, Nov 21, 2022
49. ↑ On Israel TV, prisoners who escaped Iran’s 1988 killings compare Raisi to Hitler Christian United For Israel
50. ↑ Syria's Assad pays rare visit to ally Iran DW News 05/08/2022May 8, 2022
51. ↑ Erdogan to Iran’s Raisi: Islamic world should unite against Israeli attacks The Times of Israel By Jacob Magid 8 April 2023, 8:32 am
52. ↑ Narendra Modi, archived from Twitter, 16 September 2022.
53. ↑ Iran’s Raisi welcomes invitation from king to visit Saudi Arabia Al Jazeera 19 Mar 2023
54. ↑ Saudi Arabia invites Iranian president to visit in latest sign of rapprochement Financial Times
55. ↑ Pan-Iranism: New Tactics of Conservatives in Iran International Policy Digest April 8, 2016
56. ↑ Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to resume ties, with China’s help Politico 03/10/2023 12:44 PM EST
57. ↑ Iranian President Gives 'Full Support' to Putin in Call The Moscow times By AFP June 26, 2023
58. ↑ Putin, Raisi discuss deepening ties between Russia and Iran Al Jazeera 12 Nov 2022
59. ↑ Putin, Raisi agree to strengthen Russian-Iranian ties Xinhua net 2021-09-14 23:39:33
60. ↑ From Hitler and Stalin to Putin and Raisi: Why Downplaying Evil Is So Dangerous The Algemeiner JULY 22, 2022 9:16 AM
61. ↑ Iran: Ebrahim Raisi must be investigated for crimes against humanity Amnesty International June 19, 2021
62. ↑ Ebrahim Raisi Is A Monster. His Entry Into The U.S. Was Inexcusable | Opinion Newsweek Published Sep 22, 2022 at 7:00 AM EDT
63. ↑ Rights groups call for probe into Iran's Raisi for crimes against humanity Reuters June 19, 202111:53 AM EDT
64. ↑ As Iran’s Raisi rails about human rights at UN, his own shock troops pounce at home The Independent Wednesday 21 September 2022 19:07 BST
65. ↑ Iran's President Vows To Continue Nuclear Activities Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 09, 2022 13:03 GMT
66. ↑ Azeri President Launches Broadside Against Iran Iran International 11/25/2022
67. ↑ Iran's President Raisi killed in helicopter crash CNN
68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 Iran’s president and foreign minister die in helicopter crash at moment of high tensions in Mideast, Jon Gambrell (May 21, 2024) AP News
69. ↑ What might have caused the helicopter crash that killed Iran's president, Scott Neuman (May 21, 2024) NPR