Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is trying to consolidate power through his appointment of Ebrahim Raisi as president on June 18, 2021, despite the people’s nationwide boycott of the election, but the Iranian Resistance says that putting in such a notorious human rights abuser will not help prolong the life of the regime.

Raisi is a lifelong soldier for the regime, serving in many key roles and rising the ranks. Most notable is his role of the Death Commission in the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, where he personally sent thousands to their deaths after minute-long show trials, and his recent stint as Judiciary Chief where he was responsible for a brutal crackdown on the November 2019 uprising.

Amnesty International said: “That Ebrahim Raisi has risen to the presidency instead of being investigated for the crimes against humanity of murder, enforced disappearance and torture, is a grim reminder that impunity reigns supreme in Iran.”

Essentially, because of Raisi’s crimes, Iran will be even less popular on the world stage, which will not bode well for the removal of sanctions desperately needed by the mullahs. Khamenei must have been able to predict this, so why would he continue with the appointment of Raisi?

The Resistance implies that this is because the November 2019 protests shook the regime so much that even though 1500 protesters were already shot dead, the mullahs had to do something. Even the state-run media is reporting this as they explain that the uprising is still cloaked in secrecy by the regime.

Public hatred of the mullahs has only increased since then, as the regime failed to address the concerns of the people and made the economic situation worse through corruption, prolonging the coronavirus pandemic, and wasting money on terrorism and the nuclear program. The people chant “our enemy is here, they lie it is the US” during protests and more Iranians are joining the Resistance. 

The Iranian Resistance wrote: “The nationwide boycott of the regime’s sham election, ongoing protests in Iran, and call for holding Raisi accountable for his crimes against humanity indicate Khamenei has failed in his quest to consolidate his regime. During the sham election, the Iranian people showed the entire world that they want regime change. Those promoting dialogue with the regime would have to rethink their strategy, as sitting on the same table with a mass murderer would not just be fruitless; it would be a shame. The regime would be much weaker following Raisi’s presidency and would not last much longer.”