On Tuesday, the United Nations lowered its flag to half-staff to honor Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who reportedly died in a helicopter crash on Monday. This decision has sparked significant backlash from critics who highlighted Raisi’s extensive record of human rights violations during his presidency in Iran.
Raisi, often referred to as the “Butcher of Tehran,” had a notorious history of overseeing the execution of political prisoners in Iran. Under his leadership, Iran was widely recognized as the leading state sponsor of terrorism globally.
Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and president of Human Rights Voices, criticized the UN’s gesture. In a statement to Fox News, she said, “One might say this sign of UN respect for mass murderers and terrorist executioners is not a surprise.”
“The UN Security Council or General Assembly has refused to condemn the terrorist organization Hamas and its October 7th atrocities, orchestrated through Tehran. Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism, but the UN has no definition of terrorism because Islamic states claim killing Jews and other targets, including Americans, isn’t terror,” Bayefsky added.
Following Raisi’s death, the US State Department extended its official condolences.
“The United States expresses its official condolences for the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and other members of their delegation in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran,” the state department said in a statement.
“As Iran selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms,” it added.
News of Raisi’s death first circulated on Sunday, when it was revealed that a helicopter carrying the Iranian president from the Iran-Azerbaijan border experienced a “crash landing” in mountainous terrain. After rescue and search teams were deployed to the site of the crash, Raisi was officially declared dead.
