{"id":59340,"date":"2024-05-20T09:31:32","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T07:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iranfreedom.org\/en\/?p=59340"},"modified":"2024-05-20T10:20:03","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T08:20:03","slug":"raisis-death-a-monumental-blow-to-irans-regime-says-opposition-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iranfreedom.org\/en\/news\/2024\/05\/raisis-death-a-monumental-blow-to-irans-regime-says-opposition-leader\/59340\/","title":{"rendered":"Raisi’s Death a “Monumental Blow” to Iran’s Regime, Says Opposition Leader"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Ebrahim — Ebrahim Raisi, executioner of the MEK members in 1988 massacre, dead in helicopter crash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Ebrahim Raisi<\/a>, the hardline cleric who served as president of Iran\u2019s regime, has died at the age of 63 in a helicopter crash in the Dizmar forest of northwestern Iran. Raisi, a prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei<\/a>, assumed the presidency in 2021 despite widespread of human rights abuses and his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988<\/a> as a prosecutor, earning him the moniker \u201cthe Butcher of Tehran.\u201d<\/p>\n
Apart from Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian<\/a>, the passengers of the helicopter included Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in East Azerbaijan province; Malek Rahmati, the governor of East Azerbaijan province; Mehdi Mousavi, the commander of the presidential security guard; and three flight crew members.<\/p>\n
Despite his controversial past, Raisi rose through the ranks of Iran\u2019s judicial system, serving as the head of the judiciary from 2019 to 2021 before being elected president in a tightly controlled election. His presidency was marked by a brutal crackdown on nationwide protests, including the Mahsa (Jina) Amini<\/a> protests in 2022, which resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of arrests.<\/p>\n
Raisi continued Iran\u2019s pursuit of nuclear capabilities, enriching uranium to unprecedented levels and escalating tensions with the West and Israel. He also supported Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine by supplying drones and armed militia groups across the region, solidifying Iran\u2019s destabilizing role in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Maryam Rajav<\/a>i, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI<\/a>), stated <\/a>that Raisi\u2019s death \u201crepresents a monumental and irreparable strategic blow to the mullahs\u2019 Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the entire regime, notorious for its executions and massacres.\u201d She added that it will trigger a series of repercussions and crises within the theocratic tyranny, which will spur rebellious youths into action.<\/p>\n
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The death of Ebrahim Raisi, the clerical regime\u2019s President represents a monumental and irreparable strategic blow to the mullahs\u2019 Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the entire regime, notorious for its executions and massacres. It will trigger a series of repercussions and crises\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/2XW5a5NQoI<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) May 20, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n