Professors Condemn Iranian Regime’s Ebrahim Raisi’s Attendance at the UN General Assembly and Urge the U.S. Government to Deny His Visa

Storrs, CT – September 15, 2023 – The Free Iran Scholars Network (FISN), a collective of academics and experts who support the Iranian people’s uprising for freedom and promote global unity among scholars, academicians, and professionals to establish a pluralistic, secular, democratic, prosperous and republic Iran, is adamantly  against the inclusion of Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Raisi’s presence at the UNGA contradicts and undermines the Iranian people’s fundamental right to freedom and democracy. 

Raisi’s history is marred by allegations of heinous crimes against humanity, calling into question his  qualifications as a representative of Iran on the global stage. Notably, Raisi played a significant role in the 1988 massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners in Iran, an act that has been widely condemned by the international community. His administration has enabled a severe crackdown on Iranian protesters in the past year, with hundreds losing their lives and more than 20,000 being unjustly detained, many of whom unjustly face execution. The United States Congress has called for sanctioning Ibrahim Raisi for human rights abuses in multiple resolutions and acts over the years, including HRes 188, HRes 100, and just this week, HR 589.  

The Free Iran Scholars Network firmly believes that such a figure should not be granted a platform at the United Nations, an institution dedicated to promoting peace, human rights, and diplomacy. The UN’s mission, founded on principles of justice and humanity, should never extend to individuals associated with crimes against humanity. By including Raisi, the UN will be complicit in supporting someone whose actions are counter to peace, human rights and diplomacy.

We call upon the United Nations to reevaluate Ibrahim Raisi’s participation in the UNGA and take immediate action to ensure that those implicated in war crimes and egregious  human rights violations are not provided a platform to speak on the global stage. It is our collective responsibility to uphold the principles of justice, human rights, and accountability, and to stand against  those who repeatedly  violate these principles. 

FISN also  urges the United States government to uphold its commitment to human rights and justice by denying Raisi a Visa to enter the country. In order for the  U.S. to maintain their longstanding tradition of standing against human rights violators, it is crucial that they must not be complicit in anything counter to this tradition. Allowing Raisi entry into the United States would be an egregious affront to the principles of justice and accountability that we hold dear.

FISN encourages the international community, human rights organizations, and fellow academics to join us  in this call for justice and accountability. Together, we can send a strong message that perpetrators of human rights abuses will not find refuge within the halls of the United Nations, nor on American soil. And that the United Nations and American government will not be complicit in supporting those who so readily and repeatedly participate in human rights violations.

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