Ebrahim Raisi has only been in power for a year, but he is already facing one of the biggest crises that Iran has experienced in recent years. Since the death of a 22-year-old woman during a morality police check, a wave of protest has swept across the country. Thursday, September 22, the President of the Islamic Republic, on the front line, promised the opening of an investigation. In the meantime, the crackdown has so far killed at least 17 people, according to state media, 31 according to the NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), based in Oslo.
So who is President Raisi? On August 3, 2021, he became the first Iranian president targeted by US sanctions for his role in mass executions and the suppression of protests. At 61, his profile is primarily that of an ultra-conservative cleric who has risen to the highest positions in the judiciary.
Ebrahim Raïssi always wears a black “seyyed” turban (descendant of Muhammad). Originally from the holy city of Mashhad in the northeast of the country, he entered the seminary at 15 in the city of Qom where he followed the teachings of Ayatollah Khamenei, reports AlJazeera. The president is also often cited as a potential successor to the Iranian Supreme Leader, to whom he is close. President Raisi is also the son-in-law of an ultra-conservative preacher from Mashhad, known for his radical, sometimes controversial speeches, explains the Arabic-language media.
Before becoming president, Ebrahim Raisi was at the heart of the judicial system for three decades in Iran. Appointed Attorney General of Karaj (near Tehran) at just 20 years old, shortly after the advent of the Islamic Revolution, he obtained the post of Tehran in 1994 and became Deputy Head of the Judicial Authority in 2004. A career that binds him to all the scandals of human rights violations in the country since the Islamic revolution of 1979.
Many observers attribute to him in particular responsibilities in the mass executions of Marxist and leftist detainees in 1988 during an episode of bloody repression by the Iranian regime. Ebrahim Raïssi was one of the four judges who took part in “death committees” in secret courts to sentence people to capital punishment, recalls the Guardian. Thousands of people were thus executed, respecting the fatwa decreed by Ayatollah Khomeini.
Even today, it worries committed citizens. “Mr. Raisi embodies authoritarian thinking. He embodies the closing of newspapers and the harsh treatment of dissidents and political activistsexplained in June to the World an Iranian political activist who has been imprisoned several times. The election of Ebrahim Raïsi will undeniably have serious consequences for us.”.
The Iranian president imposes his rigorous positions, including on the Western media. On Wednesday, he notably refused an interview with the American channel CNN because the journalist who was to question him was not wearing a veil. Passing through New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Ebrahim Raïsi had initially granted this interview to the news channel. But at the time of the meeting, his teams asked the presenter in charge of interviewing the Iranian president, Christiane Amanpour, to wear a veil for the interview, as she told on Twitter.
The Iranian president’s teams invoked “a matter of respect” and Muslim religious holidays, according to the journalist, to justify their request. Christiane Amanpour refused to cover her head, explaining that in New York, no law imposed this and that no other Iranian president had made this request outside of Iran. Ebrahim Raïssi never showed up for the interview.
Protests are sweeping Iran & women are burning their hijabs after the death last week of Mahsa Amini, following her arrest by the “morality police”. Human rights groups say at least 8 have been killed. Last night, I planned to ask President Raisi about all this and much more. 1/7
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) September 22, 2022
Another incident with the American media: Ebrahim Raïssi expressed doubts about the historical reality of the Holocaust. Asked about this by a CBS journalist from the 60 Minutes program, Ebrahim Raïssi replied: “Historical events should be studied by researchers and historians. There are signs that it happened. If so, they should be able to study and investigate them.” During this interview, he also referred to Israel as “false diet” and accused the United States of supporting this country in order to be able “to put down roots and settle in the region“.
When asked if he believed the Holocaust happened, Iranian President Raisi told Lesley Stahl, “There are some signs that it happened. If so, they should allow it to be investigated and researched.” https://t.co/CChTRxBFcr pic.twitter.com/7ZSBEknrh1
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 19, 2022