Iranian exiles file legal complaint in Switzerland against Iranian president, urging his prosecution on the verge of his Geneva trip

The complaint was filed as the coordinator of the United Nations Global Refugee Forum announced that Raisi is expected to attend the forum in Geneva on Wednesday, December 13.

The plaintiffs, associated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), a primary Iranian resistance movement, allege that Raisi, then a Deputy Prosecutor in Tehran, was directly involved in the execution of thousands of political prisoners. They also highlight Raisi’s involvement in the suppression of popular uprisings, notably the 2019 uprising as the head of the judiciary and the 2022 uprising as president.

Survivors of the 1988 massacre in Iran, asserting they had personally witnessed Ebrahim Raisi’s participation in the death commission, have filed a legal complaint against him in Geneva. The plaintiffs plan to publicly disclose the complaint at a press conference on Tuesday, coinciding with the eve of Raisi’s first scheduled trip to Europe.

The conference organizers also aim to reveal information, obtained from within Iran by the network of the MEK, about senior officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Quds Force accompanying Raisi.

In recent days, an international campaign has been advocating for Raisi’s prosecution and accountability. According to the campaign’s organizers, over 300 international dignitaries have endorsed this call for action.

The signatories, comprising notable jurists and politicians, have voiced their "deep concern" about Ebrahim Raisi’s planned participation in the UN Forum. They underscored that Raisi was a central figure in the 1988 massacre of thousands of political prisoners, arguing that his presence at the UN forum is in stark contradiction to the fundamental values upheld by the United Nations. Human rights organizations have been advocating for Raisi’s prosecution for his alleged role in crimes against humanity. This includes his involvement as a member of the Tehran Death Commission during the 1988 mass extra-judicial executions and enforced disappearances of political prisoners.

According to reports, the then-Supreme Leader had issued a decree mandating the execution of all political prisoners associated with the primary opposition group, PMOI/MEK. It is believed that up to 30,000 political prisoners, mostly linked to this organization but also including members of various other opposition groups, were executed.

International entities, including the UN’s Special Procedures, have denounced the 1988 extra-judicial executions and enforced disappearances in Iran as continuing crimes against humanity. They are calling for a thorough international investigation into Ebrahim Raisi’s involvement. Critics argue that allowing an individual with such a severe record of human rights violations to participate in a prestigious international forum only reinforces a culture of impunity prevalent in Iran.

In a recent statement, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) condemned Raisi’s planned visit to Geneva to attend the UN forum as "an insult to human rights, the sacred right to asylum, and all the values for which contemporary humanity has sacrificed tens of millions of lives." The NCRI has also announced plans for a demonstration in Geneva on Wednesday, December 13, 2023. This protest aims to denounce Raisi’s presence in Geneva and demand his arrest and prosecution.

The NCRI emphasizes that Raisi, rather than attending a United Nations forum, should be facing prosecution and punishment for what they describe as "four decades of crime against humanity and genocide.”

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