Ebrahim Raisi, who began his career as the Prosecutor General of Karaj at the age of 20 in 1980, rapidly ascended to senior judicial and executive positions, eventually becoming president in 2021. Over the past 44 years, Raisi was implicated in the enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions of thousands of political dissidents in the 1980s. He was also involved in the unlawful killing, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture of thousands of protesters, as well as the persecution of women and girls defying compulsory veiling laws.
Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Diana Eltahawy, stated, “Ebrahim Raisi should have been criminally investigated for the crimes against humanity of murder, enforced disappearance, and torture while he was alive. His death must not deny his victims and their families their right to truth and accountability.”
For decades, Iranian officials bearing criminal responsibility have enjoyed systematic impunity. The international community must now establish mechanisms to hold Raisi and other Iranian officials accountable for their serious human rights violations and crimes under international law.
Raisi was a key figure in the 1988 mass executions of political dissidents, serving on the “death commission” that orchestrated the enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killings of several thousand prisoners in Evin and Gohardasht prisons. Survivors and victims’ families have been denied justice and faced persecution for seeking accountability ever since. Raisi even defended these killings as a significant achievement of the Islamic Republic.
During his tenure in multiple judicial positions, including Head of the Judiciary from 2019 to 2021, Raisi oversaw widespread human rights violations. Tens of thousands were subjected to arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture, and other ill-treatment, while the judiciary granted impunity to those responsible for killing and torturing protesters, especially during the November 2019 protests.
As President and Chair of the Supreme Council of National Security, Raisi oversaw the violent crackdown on the 2022 uprising. Security forces unlawfully killed hundreds of protesters and bystanders, injuring thousands more, and subjected many arrested protesters to torture, including sexual violence.
Raisi’s presidency saw a sharp increase in executions, with at least 853 carried out in 2023 alone, a 172% rise from 2021. This surge was largely due to a renewed “war on drugs” policy, resulting in 481 drug-related executions in 2023, a 264% increase from 2021. Under Raisi’s watch as both Head of the Judiciary and President, Iranian authorities executed at least 2,462 individuals.
Raisi also intensified the enforcement of compulsory veiling laws. In 2022, his directives led to the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, sparking the uprising and subsequent violent crackdowns. Since April 2024, enforcement has escalated further with the “Noor Plan,” leading to more public assaults and arrests of women and girls for non-compliance with veiling laws.
Eltahawy concluded, “Raisi’s legacy highlights the crisis of impunity in Iran. States should initiate criminal investigations into Iranian officials suspected of international crimes to ensure justice for survivors and victims’ families.” Raisi’s death, though it closes one chapter, must not end the quest for accountability and justice for his numerous victims.