The United Nations flag was lowered to half-mast on Tuesday in memory of Iran’s late President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Monday.
Raisi, known as the “Butcher of Tehran” for overseeing mass executions of political prisoners in 1988, was killed when his helicopter crashed in the mountains of the country’s northwest, along with his passenger, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian, and others. He was killed along with other Iranian officials. . Several United Nations member states have expressed condolences to the Iranian regime, a show of support for the state sponsor of terrorism that has infuriated human rights activists and Iranian hardliners.
“One might say that the UN’s show of respect for a mass murderer and terrorist executioner is not surprising,” said Anne Baevsky, director of the Touro Institute for Human Rights and Holocaust Research and executive director of Human Rights Voices.
“The United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly have refused to condemn the terrorist organization Hamas and its October 7 atrocities orchestrated through Tehran. “The United Nations has no definition of terrorism because the United Nations claims that they are killing Jews and Jewish people. Other targets, including Americans, are not terrorism,” Baevsky said in a statement to FOX News Digital. Stated.
Iranian president dies in helicopter crash, UN observes moment of silence for ‘Tehran Butcher’ Raisi
The United Nations on Tuesday lowered its flag to half-staff in memory of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country’s foreign minister, who were killed in a helicopter crash on Monday. (UNTV)
Thousands of miles from UN headquarters in New York, black-clad mourners began gathering in Iran on Tuesday for days of funerals and processions to honor the dead. The mass demonstrations are expected to be cracked down by the Shiite theocracy, and prosecutors have already warned people not to go out in public to celebrate his death, the Associated Press reported. Tight security has been in place on Tehran’s streets ever since.
Raisi, 63, was seen as a possible successor to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, 85. His death now casts doubt on the presidential candidate’s choice, especially as there is no cleric expected to succeed him ahead of elections scheduled for June 28.
On Tuesday, May 21, 2024, the United Nations flag was flown at half-mast in memory of the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. (UNTV)
Raisi faces U.S. sanctions for his involvement in mass executions in 1988 and for mistreatment of protesters and dissidents while leading the country’s judiciary. It is unclear what kind of presence the funeral will have internationally. Iran under Raisi also shipped bomb-laden drones to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.
“We are reluctant to offer our condolences when Iran is sending drones to be used against Ukrainian civilians,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote in an X post.
‘Butcher of Tehran’ dies; Raisi’s legacy continues as Iran appoints acting president
Mourners gather around a truck carrying the coffin of President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions who were killed in Sunday’s helicopter crash during a funeral in Tabriz, Iran, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Ata Dadashi, Fars News, via AP)
British Security Minister Tom Tugendhat made similar comments on X’s post. “President Raisi’s regime has killed thousands of people at home and targeted people in the UK and across Europe. I will not mourn him,” he wrote.
The United Nations held a moment of silence for Raisi on Monday at the request of representatives of Russia, China and Algeria. U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood and others stood for one minute at the United Nations Security Council to praise Raisi. The show of support for the Iranian leader disappointed Bayevsky and others who closely monitor the regime’s human rights abuses.
“The most troubling thing about praising Raisi is that the United Nations operates on a herd mentality, and the Biden administration, the head of the greatest and most powerful democracy on earth, has chosen to honor Raisi as part of the crowd. We believe that this is a department,” Baevsky told FOX News Digital.
State Department rejects unusual request for aid from Iran to US after fatal helicopter crash: “Logical reasons”
President Ebrahim Raisi attends a meeting with the President of Azerbaijan on Sunday, May 19, 2024 in Azerbaijan on the border between Iran and Azerbaijan. (AP via Iranian Presidential Office)
She called Monday’s moment of silence “a shocking disgrace to all the victims of Raisi’s reign of terror and oppression, both in Iran and abroad.”
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan called the moment of silence “shameful” and slammed the UN for continuing to honor the Iranian president who committed “genocide” by lowering the flag.
“What will happen tomorrow? Will the United Nations Hall be named after him? The moral compass of the United Nations is in the trenches and this organization is an affront to true human rights defenders,” Erdan said.
Sen. Tim Scott (RS.C.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Fox News Digital that the honor given to Raisi was an insult to the Iranian people.
“The United Nations and the Biden administration should honor the victims of the Iranian regime, not the massacrers in Tehran. The tribute to Mr. Raisi is a slap in the face to all those who suffered under his rule.” said Scott.
State Department Press Secretary Matt Miller addressed the United States’ participation in the moment of silence at an afternoon press conference.
Click here for the FOX News app
Asked whether his participation was appropriate, Miller said: “It is clear that Ebrahim Raisi brutally participated in the oppression of the Iranian people for nearly 40 years.”
“Some of the worst human rights abuses occurred during his presidency, particularly against Iranian women and girls,” Miller said. “That said, we regret the loss of life. We don’t want to see anyone die in a helicopter crash. But that doesn’t change the reality of his career as a judge and as president of Iran. Not.”
Fox News’ Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
