The death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is no cause for tears. The “Butcher of Tehran,” who perished in a helicopter crash on May 19, was a human-rights abuser responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iranians and the oppression of millions. Unfortunately, senior officials of leading democracies and democratic multilateral organizations, including the United States, NATO and the European Union nations, have expressed condolences on Raisi’s passing. Instead, free nations should seize this moment to push for the rise of liberty and democracy in Iran in place of the current repressive regime.
Raisi’s violations of human rights span decades as he steadily climbed up the ranks of Iran’s judiciary. In 1988, he sat on a commission responsible for ordering the killing of thousands of Iranian political prisoners. As prosecutor general of Tehran, he targeted opponents and critics of the Islamic Republic. In other senior positions, he took a leading role in persecuting protesters, particularly after the 2009 presidential “election.” As chief justice of Iran from 2019 to 2021, he headed a judiciary that prosecuted dissidents and members of marginalized communities and sentenced them to death or heavy prison terms.
As president of Iran since 2021, Raisi spearheaded stepped-up enforcement of mandatory hijab (head covering) for women. The most dramatic consequence of this policy occurred in September 2022, when the Iranian Morality Police detained 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for improper hijab and she died in police custody, sparking nationwide protests that the regime has brutally suppressed. Thirteen months later, the Morality Police assaulted 16-year-old Armita Geravand for improper hijab in the Tehran subway, causing her to fall into a coma and die.
During Raisi’s presidency, Iran also increased its already frequent use of capital punishment (often for political or drug-related offenses, and even against youth offenders). Further, the regime’s persecution of religious and ethnic minorities intensified on Raisi’s watch.
Raisi’s fellow human-rights violators mourn his loss, unsurprisingly. China’s President Xi Jinping, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, Syria’s President Bashar Assad, the Afghan Taliban’s Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar all expressed sadness. Joining them in their grief were the Iran-sponsored terrorist organizations Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis in Yemen.
However, leaders and representatives of free democracies also conveyed condolences, including the spokespersons for the U.S. State Department and NATO; the European Union’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell; European Council president Charles Michel; and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Why?
Diplomatic niceties sometimes call for refraining from or moderating criticism of—or saying nice things about—bad people. But there are bad people, and then there are mass murderers. Would Washington and Brussels express condolences after the deaths of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, Putin or Assad? If, hopefully, the answer is no, then why make an exception for Raisi? Why join tyrants and terrorists on the wrong side of history?
Perhaps the most harmful part of these messages is that they are often being conveyed to the people of Iran. But most Iranians don’t mourn Raisi’s passing. And when other governments express condolences over the loss of one of their oppressors, it can make Iranians feel like they’re on their own.
The U.S. State Department’s statement on Raisi’s death did say one positive thing: “As Iran selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms.” The other officials listed above mentioned nothing about Iranians’ plight.
The Biden administration should follow through on these words with deeds. It should rally U.S. allies to adopt a strategy that uses every feasible mechanism to support the replacement of the Islamic Republic with a free democratic system. Those mechanisms should include intensifying sanctions against and international isolation of the regime for its human-rights abuses and the totality of its malign behavior. This pressure should be accompanied by tangible support for Iranian protesters, trade unionists and other dissidents.
Above all, do no harm to Iranians. That means no more statements of condolence for the death of Raisi, no such expressions of mourning for Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei after he dies (and that day cannot come soon enough), and no conveying of congratulations to the next Iranian president—whomever he may be—after his “election” on June 28. The Iranian people deserve international support; their oppressors, international opposition and opprobrium.
