{"id":243371,"date":"2021-07-17T10:16:50","date_gmt":"2021-07-17T15:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=243371"},"modified":"2023-01-31T01:02:49","modified_gmt":"2023-01-31T00:02:49","slug":"in-light-of-abuse-and-illegitimacy-pressure-grows-for-isolation-of-irans-new-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/in-light-of-abuse-and-illegitimacy-pressure-grows-for-isolation-of-irans-new-president\/","title":{"rendered":"In Light Of Abuse And Illegitimacy, Pressure Grows For Isolation Of Iran\u2019s New President"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"EbrahimIn 1988, Ebrahim Raisi<\/a> was serving as the deputy public prosecutor in Tehran when he became one of the leading figures in a \u201cdeath commission<\/a>\u201d tasked with interrogating political prisoners over their views and affiliations in the Iranian capital. Thirty-one years later, he was appointed as head of the entire nation\u2019s judiciary, and two years after that, the regime\u2019s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei put him forward as the only viable candidate to succeed the outgoing President Hassan Rouhani.<\/p>\n

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On June 18, Raisi\u2019s promotion to the second-highest office in the Iranian regime was confirmed. Tehran attempted to portray this as the result of a popular election, but elections in the Iranian regime have never been free or fair, and on this occasion, the overwhelming majority of eligible voters participated in an electoral boycott aimed at condemning Raisi\u2019s candidacy as well as the entire system behind it.<\/p>\n

\nAccording to the National Council of Resistance of Iran<\/a>, less than one in ten voters cast ballots in the presidential election, and of those who did, many cast deliberately invalid ballots. This conclusion is backed up by thousands of video clips showing empty polling places. Government authorities did their best to broadcast staged scenes of electoral activity on state media outlets, but even they acknowledge that voter turnout last month was the lowest in the history of the Iranian regime.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI short, very few people actually voted for Raisi,\u201d said former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday, in a speech to the Free Iran World Summit. The three-day event brought together Iranian expatriate activists and over a thousand political dignitaries from throughout the world to discuss Iranian affairs and global policies toward the Iranian regime, often in the context of the changes wrought by Raisi\u2019s \u201celection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pompeo described that election as \u201ctaking place when the theocratic regime is at its most precarious state since 1979,\u201d a time when \u201cits prospects of survival are openly questioned by regime insiders and challenged by a restive, freedom-loving nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nThe former top US diplomat went on to argue that the US and its allies should amplify that challenge by demonstrating genuine support for the Iranian people in forthcoming conflicts with the repressive regime. One concrete way of doing that is by pushing for a commission of inquiry into the regime\u2019s past crimes against humanity, and particularly the role played by the new president.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThe United States should take the lead to hold him accountable,\u201d Pompeo said, adding that \u201cany dealings with Raisi would be tantamount to dealing with a mass murderer. This is not only immoral but also counterproductive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nThroughout the summit, various other speakers similarly condemned the prospect of treating Raisi as a legitimate representative of Iran. Many also emphasized the notion that Western powers had made mistakes by taking this approach with other Iranian leaders and diplomats, leading to an expectation of impunity on their part.<\/p>\n

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Pompeo urges Iranian dissidents to \u2018keep up the fight\u2019 against hardline regime #Iran<\/a> #FreeIran2021<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/ImrTxztiTo<\/a> #FoxNews<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) July 11, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n