With the crash of a helicopter in the mountainous-forested area of Dizmar Varzeqan, in East Azerbaijan, carrying Ebrahim Raisi and his companions, evidence suggests that he has been killed. The death of this figure, known as the "Ayatollah of Death," marks the end of another notorious executioner of the Islamic Republic. According to official statements from government sources, his death and that of his companions, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic, the Governor of East Azerbaijan, and the Friday Prayer Leader of Tabriz, have been confirmed.
Raisi began issuing death sentences at the age of 20 in his clerical garb, initially as a prosecutor in Karaj and later in Hamedan and committed numerous atrocities throughout the dark decade of the 1980s. He was one of the four members appointed by Khomeini on the Death Committee for the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, where he became known for his ruthlessness. Raisi's entire dark life was marked by murder, with his hands stained with blood daily over four decades. Due to this dark history, Khamenei appointed him first as the head of the judiciary and then as the president. During his tenure as head of the judiciary in 2018 and 2019 and his presidency, these executions continued, particularly during the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement.
The death of Raisi is neither regrettable nor politically significant. The only regret is that he did not live to be tried by the people's court and end his days behind bars. Politically, the death of this obedient servant of the Supreme Leader, who played no role other than following orders and acting on his whims, holds no special significance; especially considering that he was the most ineffective among his peers in the presidency. The person whose death could impact political processes is none other than Khamenei himself, who stands at the top and center of the system, not Raisi, his trained and obedient subordinate.
In the current political struggle, what matters is countering the spectacle that Khamenei is already preparing. He and his regime aim to turn the mourning ceremonies for this favourite into a public frenzy and exploit it politically. The Left Party of Iran, while emphasizing that Raisi's death is not to be regretted in the least, invites all compatriots to thwart the government's martyr-making program. The death-dealing Islamic Republic must not be allowed to benefit in any way.
Political-Executive Board of the Left Party of Iran
May 20, 2024
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