By Giulio Terzi of Sant’Agata| 01/08/2021
Taking part in the inauguration ceremony of Raisi, albeit with an exclusively diplomatic participation, will be a de facto legitimation of the person responsible for terrible crimes against humanity. The opinion of Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, former Foreign Minister
Ebrahim Raisi’s official inauguration as president of the bloodthirsty Iranian regime of the ayatollahs is just a few days away , after the victory of the “sham” elections held last month, scandalously orchestrated by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei , in total disregard of even the most elementary rules of a democratic community.
The event will be the definitive consecration of one of the main protagonists of the abuses and abuses of the regime who in this way – if there ever was the need – strongly wanted to reveal his true face.
Raisi, in fact, is sadly known for his role as deputy prosecutor of Tehran and a member of the death commissions, formed throughout the country following a fatwa by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the summer of 1988, responsible for the massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners.
It is worth remembering how 42 years of medieval brutality have seen tens of thousands of dissidents executed simply for opposing the regime. Protests at the national level, more and more numerous, are systematically repressed in blood. Some 1,500 unarmed protesters, mostly young, were killed in a mass riot in late 2019. Thousands more were injured, with many being dragged to prison from their hospital beds, never to be seen again.
What is happening in these days in the Iranian province of Khuzestan, the cruelty implemented by the regime in suppressing the protests of those who ask not to die of hunger and thirst, the dozens of deaths that are already registered for use indiscriminate of lethal ammunition – even from hunting! – by the security forces, they once again confirm the tyrannical and bloodthirsty trait.
In such a climate of strong tension and social oppression, from what is learned from the main press agency of the regime (Irna), 50 countries have already confirmed their participation, on 5 August, in the swearing-in ceremony of the new president.
It is legitimate to ask – at the same time fearing the answer – which and how many EU countries will take part in the triumph of one of the most contemptuous “executioners” of this criminal regime. Some sad anticipation comes from Formiche.net which, unfortunately, confirms the presence of our diplomatic representative in Tehran and also of the Farnesina.
A policy of appeasement that our country should urgently abandon and instead join the ever-increasing demands for justice, freedom and democracy for the Iranian people, torn apart by decades of ferocious and bloody oppression. All aspects of society, from democratic rights to freedom of expression, religion and sexuality – to name but a few – are simply denied by the regime.
On 29 June, in fact, the current UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman , reiterated the urgency of an independent investigation into the 1988 massacre and the role played by President-elect Raisi as deputy Tehran prosecutor.
On May 3, 2021, more than 150 former UN officials and renowned international human rights and legal experts wrote to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet , asking for an international commission of inquiry into the 1988 massacre. The signatories to the open letter include former United Nations High Commissioner and Irish President Mary Robinson , a former UN Deputy Secretary-General, 28 former UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights, and the chairs of former UN Committees of Inquiry. Unite on human rights abuses in Eritrea and North Korea.
In addition, Amnesty International’s secretary general, Agnès Callamard , said on June 19 that “Raisi rose to the presidency instead of being investigated for crimes against humanity of murder, enforced disappearance and torture, it is a sad reminder that the impunity reigns supreme in Iran. We continue to ask that Ebrahim Raisi be investigated for his involvement in past and ongoing crimes according to international law, including by States that exercise universal jurisdiction ”.
Lastly, the declarations of the Slovenian Prime Minister and rotating president of the Council of the European Union, Janez Janša , represented a truly solemn moment , saying that “the Iranian people deserve democracy, freedom and human rights and should be firmly supported by international community ”, also reiterating that“ the Iranian regime must be held responsible for the violations of human rights ”.
It is precisely in this direction that our country should turn its gaze as soon as possible, in particular to remove from the European Union any “shadow” from the long tradition of being the main body in the defense and promotion of human rights.
An appeal to support Janša’s position was launched in recent days by some Italian parliamentarians and by the heads of Hands Off Cain and the Global Committee for the Rule of Law – Marco Pannella in a letter addressed to Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and to the President of the Council Mario Draghi , in which it is highlighted how the statements of the High Representative for Foreign and Security Affairs, Josep Borrell , – specifying how the comments of the President in office do not “absolutely” reflect the position of the European Union – risk seriously compromising the credibility of the European institutions.
Taking part in the inauguration ceremony of Raisi next Thursday, albeit with a lower profile participation, will be a de facto legitimation by Italy of the person responsible for terrible crimes against humanity, as such recognized by a large part of the community international.
A serious vulnus for Italian foreign policy that will take our country off the high road that for decades has instead represented the cornerstone of our international relations.
We remember when, albeit by virtue of historical and profound relations such as those with Chile, following the illegal establishment in the government of a head of state responsible for serious crimes against human rights, diplomatic relations were frozen: what differences exist between Raisi in 2021 and Augusto Pinochet in 1973, in the bloody and repressive political criminals that both pursued in their respective historical contexts?
