Iran's hard-line judiciary chief won a landslide victory in the country's presidential election, a vote that both propelled the supreme leader's protege into Tehran's highest civilian position and saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic's history.
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The election of Ebrahim Raisi, already sanctioned by the US in part over his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988, became more of a coronation after his strongest competition found themselves disqualified from running in Saturday's vote.
That sparked calls for a boycott and many apparently did stay home – out of over 59 million eligible voters, only 28.9 million voted. Of those voting, some 3.7 million people either accidentally or intentionally voided their ballots, far beyond the amount seen in previous elections and suggesting some wanted none of the four candidates.
Iranian state television immediately blamed challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and US sanctions for the low participation. But the low turnout and voided ballots suggested a wider unhappiness with the tightly controlled election, as activists criticized Raisi's ascension.
In official results, Raisi won 17.9 million votes overall, nearly 62% of the total 28.9 million cast. Had the voided ballots gone to a candidate, that person would have come in second. Following Raisi was former hard-line Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaei with 3.4 million votes.
Raisi's involvement in mass executions has earned him the ominous nickname the "Butcher of Tehran." Soon after his victory was announced, Amnesty International issued a statement urging the International Criminal Court to investigate him for alleged crimes against humanity and a "spiraling crackdown" on human rights.
Iran's new president, known as the Butcher of Tehran, is an extremist responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iranians. He is committed to the regime's nuclear ambitions and to its campaign of global terror. https://t.co/tb2xg5plwD
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid🟠 (@yairlapid) June 19, 2021
"That Ebrahim Raisi has risen to the presidency instead of being investigated for the crimes against humanity of murder, enforced disappearance and torture is a grim reminder that impunity reigns supreme in Iran," Amnesty International's Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said.
Amnesty said Raisi was a member of the "Death Commission" that forcibly disappeared and extrajudicially executed in secret thousands of opposition prisoners in 1988 while serving as Tehran's deputy prosecutor.
Amnesty said the "fate of the victims and the whereabouts of their bodies are, to this day, systematically concealed by the Iranian authorities, amounting to ongoing crimes against humanity."
The London-based pressure group said Raisi had "presided over a spiraling crackdown on human rights" while serving as Iran's judiciary chief for the past two years.
"We continue to call for Ebrahim Raisi to be investigated for his involvement in past and ongoing crimes under international law, including by states that exercise universal jurisdiction," it said.
Video: Reuters
Israel's Foreign Ministry said, "After the Supreme Leader effectively dictated to the Iranian public who they could choose, less than 50% of Iranian citizens eligible to vote have elected its most extremist president to date. The butcher of Tehran, Ebrahim Raisi, has been rightly denounced by the international community for his direct role in the extrajudicial executions of over 30,000 people.
"An extremist figure committed to Iran's rapidly advancing military nuclear program, his election makes clear Iran's true malign intentions, and should prompt grave concern among the international community."
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tweeted, "Iran's new president, known as the Butcher of Tehran, is an extremist responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iranians. He is committed to the regime's nuclear ambitions and to its campaign of global terror. His election should prompt renewed determination to immediately halt Iran's nuclear program and put an end to its destructive regional ambitions."
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