Complaint Filed in NY Federal Court Against ‘Butcher of Tehran’ Ebrahim Raisi for ‘Crimes Against Humanity’

A civil lawsuit has been filed in federal court in New York by Iranian dissidents against Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi — dubbed the “Butcher of Tehran” — for his role as a member of the infamous 1988 “death commission” that saw some 30,000 political prisoners hanged and tortured, only weeks before the Iranian leader’s scheduled visit to the United Nations’ upcoming session in New York.

The lawsuit, announced by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) at a press conference in Washington, DC, on Thursday, accuses Raisi of torture and murder as a member of the “death commission” that oversaw the convictions, executions, disappearance, and torture of tens of thousands of members of political prisoners, primarily members of the Iranian opposition MEK (Mujahadin-e Khalq), over a five month period in 1988.

Raisi’s orders, according to the complaint’s legal text shared with Breitbart News, are described as “crimes against humanity, in violation of the law of nations and of treaties binding both Iran and the United States.”

The suit also calls on authorities to take action against Raisi who was elected president of Iran in August 2021 in what is widely believed to have been a sham election and is expected to arrive for the U.N. General Assembly next month, noting previous U.S. sanctions against him for “complicity in serious human rights violations.”

According to the suit, during his attendance of the session’s opening in New York, he will be “served with process personally” within the district.

Plaintiffs of the complaint include survivors of the 1988 massacre as well as relatives of victims, including those with citizenship from the United States, Canada, as well as other European countries.

A press release for the Thursday conference, whereby the NCRI presented details and bases of the complaint, noted that it is the first time a court will “have the opportunity to examine allegations that the mullahs’ president committed gross violations of international human rights law, including crimes against humanity, for which he should be held accountable.”

Former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who spoke at the conference, said that if Raisi goes through with his planned visit to the United States, “he would be subject to the jurisdiction of United States courts.”

Asked by Breitbart News whether the ongoing court case would have any direct or immediate effect on Raisi’s planned visit, Attorney Steven Schneebaum said the question should be addressed to Raisi himself.

“We have no idea whether this might affect his attendance at the United Nations,” he said. “And if he decides not to come, perhaps that will be as a result of his unwillingness to subject himself to this kind of court scrutiny.”

Schneebaum, who serves as Counsel for the Plaintiffs, referred to the 1988 massacre whereby “as many as 30,000 individuals, guilty of nothing but principled resistance to the mullahs’ oppression, were hanged at Evin and Gohardasht Prisons in Tehran that summer.”

“I say that these facts are beyond doubt because they are,” he added. “The massacre has been reported on and denounced by Amnesty International, by various agencies of the United Nations, and by our own Department of State.”

The suit — which has a scheduled preliminary hearing in November — faces several challenges, including the legal immunity granted to Raisi as president of Iran.

However, the legal complaint explains why he is “not entitled to the privilege of head of state immunity” against such actions under U.S. law.

Iran has long been accused of severe human rights violations and implementation of the death penalty “at an alarming rate.”

Between January and October last year, at least 226 people were executed in Iran, including one juvenile offender, nine women, and 83 individuals for drug-related offenses, according to the non-profit human rights organization Iran Human Rights.

Breitbart News previously reported that Iran was the top executioner in the Middle East last year, accounting for more than half the region’s 493 executions.

Last year, the U.N. condemned reports from Iran that LGBTQ youth are subject to electric shocks, the administration of hormones and strong psychoactive medications, as well as another mistreatment from state authorities, saying the practices amount to “torture.”

In December, the U.S. imposed sanctions on a dozen Iranian government officials and entities for “serious” human rights abuses, including the repression of protesters and activists, in prisons where activists have been held in brutal conditions.

Last week, critics of the Islamic Republic of Iran called to deny a visa to Raisi following reports of his plans to travel to New York to attend the United Nations annual session, warning his attendance would “endanger national security,” serve to “appease terrorists,” and “reward the Iranian regime for its assassination and kidnapping attempts on Americans.”

The lawsuit comes as reports indicate a possible revival of the Iran nuclear deal.

On Wednesday, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) slammed the Biden administration’s willingness to grant the Islamic theocracy a “blank check” to fund their growing terrorist activities, calling it a “massive mistake that will destabilize the Middle East, empower Russia and China, and endanger Americans.” 

On Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) warned that “tens of millions may die because of the nuclear arsenal” that the deal would provide to the Ayatollah, with scores of others assured to die due to “Iranian terrorism enabled by this deal.”

In June, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence expressed undying support for Iranian resistance while blasting the Biden team’s new concessions to the “tyrants” in Tehran, its “virtual abandonment of our ally Israel,” and the “disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan,” which have emboldened the “adversaries of freedom” that now sense “weakness” in the American administration.

He also accused the Biden administration of threatening to “unravel all the progress” the Trump administration made in marginalizing the Iranian regime. 

Though Tehran claims its nuclear program is for energy purposes, world leaders, including the six nations that joined the 2015 deal to limit Iran’s nuclear weapons capacity, say enriching uranium may lead to Iran’s ability to quickly create a nuclear weapon.

Nevertheless, current nuclear talks may see the United States and other world powers provide Iran with economic sanctions relief in exchange for temporary restrictions on its nuclear program.

The Islamic regime is reportedly very close to developing its first nuclear missile and recently unveiled that it has a new long-range missile with a target range of approximately 900 miles.

According to a former State Department official, President Joe Biden’s impending agreement to restore the Iran nuclear deal offers the regime access to $90 billion in foreign currency reserves and sanctions relief to some of the world’s worst terrorists.

In addition to being granted hundreds of billions of dollars, it may likely be used for terror and aggression. The deal also will not prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.