“The Butcher of Tehran” (Ebrahim Raisi) celebrated in Australia
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died when his helicopter crashed in mountains in north-west Iran on Sunday 19 May 2024, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (SBS; ABC). Iran declared five days of mourning.
The ABC reported that Raisi became deputy prosecutor of Tehran in 1981. "There, he earned the fearsome nickname, the Butcher of Tehran." It said he "was one of four judges who sat on a prosecution committee in the 1980s that is believed to have ordered the executions of thousands of political prisoners". SBS said: "For human rights advocates, Iran's former president Ebrahim Raisi was also known as the 'Butcher of Tehran'." Raisi repeatedly denied his role. In 2021 he said: "If a judge, a prosecutor, has defended the security of the people, he should be praised … I am proud to have defended human rights in every position I have held so far" (ABC).
Reuters, republished by the ABC, reported that government loyalists in Iran mourned him, while "opponents even posted furtive videos online of people passing out sweets to celebrate his death".
In Australia, Senator Claire Chandler urged the government to boycott a UN General Assembly tribute to "the man known to many Iranians as the Butcher of Tehran" (her own statement; the page carries no date).
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