Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, is a war criminal and mass murderer. His regime regularly tortures and kills innocent people, supports assassination and kidnapping plots in the U.S. (against both former officials and dissidents), holds American citizens hostage, and thumbs its nose at the international community’s concern with its nuclear weapons program. Despite all of this, the Biden administration is granting Raisi a visa to speak, in New York, at the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly set to take place this week.
Freedom’s Newest Martyr
On Friday, a 22-year-old woman named Masha Amini, was arrested by Iran’s morality police for failing to wear Iran’s legally mandated hijab. She was taken to a police station to be “educated.” In reality, this young and brave woman was beaten to death by Iran’s Gestapo-like authorities. Since her death, Iranians of all backgrounds have taken both to the streets and social media to
protest the grotesque and inhumane treatment of people exercising their most basic human rights at the hands of the Iranian regime.
Amini is far from the first woman arrested, tortured, and imprisoned for deigning to defy the regime’s disgusting and misogynistic laws. And tragically, it is highly unlikely she will be the last.
In addition to the wave of rage spreading across Iran, here in the U.S., a number of Iranian dissidents plan to file a federal civil action against Raisi under the Torture Victim Protection Act. While it’s unlikely these individuals will ever see Raisi pay for his crimes – figuratively or literally – their decision to move ahead with this case will draw additional attention to Iran’s preeminent domestic and foreign policy doctrine: engaging in crimes against humanity.
As it is quite clear Iran has no qualms about seeking to kill dissidents anywhere in the world, including here in the United
States, we commend these brave souls’ refusal to be silent.
Meet the Mass Murderer
Given the nature of Iran’s
mass-murdering regime, it is no surprise that Iran’s President, chosen by the regime’s Supreme Leader, is indeed a mass murderer. Raisi’s rise to power began with his overseeing the mass execution of Iranian political prisoners in 1988. When asked about this during a recent 60 Minutes interview, Raisi didn’t bother denying the allegation. Rather, he made clear that he stands by his war crimes, noting, “…what happened to them was exactly proportionate to what they did.”
During the same interview, Raisi went on to say, “Israel is a malignant, cancerous tumor… that has to be removed and eradicated.” He also justified
his country’s nuclear program and engaged in a bit of Holocaust denial. And this is the man with which the White House thinks it can make a deal.
The State Department has acknowledged that the talks with Iran have reached a “stalemate,” but the question is, what are we doing about the evil Raisi, his thugs, and his Supreme Leader have wrought?
Thus far, it seems like we’re doing a whole lot of nothing. As we noted at the top of our Update, Raisi will receive a visa to enter the United States and speak – quite literally – on the world’s stage. He will enjoy the very freedom of speech and religion he denies to his own people. He will visit the very city he would gladly see turned to ashes if his regime just had the means to accomplish its genocidal goals.
Some in Congress want to do something about this abomination, and we commend them for it. Earlier in September, some 50 Members of Congress sent a letter to
President Biden calling on the White House to deny Raisi and his delegation entry to our country, and noting, “Given Ebrahim Raisi’s record of supporting terrorism and violating human rights, he should not be afforded the privilege to step onto American soil nor the privilege to address the United Nations General Assembly.”
Unfortunately, this letter seems to have had no effect on the current occupant of the Oval Office. Now, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is circulating a piece of legislation, the Strengthening Entry Visa Enforcement and Restrictions (SEVER) Act, which would bar Raisi and others associated with Iran’s tyrannical
regime from setting foot on American soil.
Cruz minced no words in explaining the purpose of his legislation, “The United States is absolutely able to deny entry to anyone who threatens our national security. Raisi is a mass-murdering terrorist who was handpicked by the ayatollah—and he's coming to the United States while there are Iranian agents trying to murder former American officials and dissidents on American soil. Joe Biden should not grant him a visa, and Congress should pass the SEVER Act to ensure he doesn't do so now or in the future.”
It is, frankly, unclear to us why Mr. Biden feels he must kowtow to the Iranian regime. Those who derive their power by subjugating, torturing, and murdering innocent women are weak. And most of us learned long ago on the schoolyard that sometimes the only way to deal with a bully is to punch him in the nose. Mr. Biden, it’s time to clench your fist.
Sincerely,
