UN Investigator Calls for Raisi Investigation

United Nations investigator on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, is calling for an inquiry to be launched into the 1988 mass executions of Iranian protesters and the central role allegedly played by Tehran’s then-deputy prosecutor and current President-elect Ebrahim Raisi. According to Rehman, his office has compiled enough testimonies and evidence over the years to share with the UN Human Rights Council or other bodies who would conduct the investigation. He warned a rushed cover-up led by Iranian authorities was expected in the coming weeks, including the destruction of mass graves. Raisi, elected earlier this month amid record-low voter turnout and set to be sworn in next week, is under United States sanctions for his involvement in the 1988 show trials and killings of at least 5,000 civilians, according to estimates. The hard-liner, who prior to the elections served as the Islamic Republic’s judiciary chief, in the past rejected the accusations, saying he merely “defended the security of the people, [and] should be praised.”