Frankfurt am Main, 21. Mai 2024 –The German Chancellor’s letter of condolence is a slap in the face for the entire Iranian democracy movement, criticises the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR). Former President Raisi was and is responsible for the execution of thousands of people in Iran. Last year alone, over 800 people were executed, including many political prisoners. The condolence for the man responsible for thousands of executions and a partner of Putin is a farce, according to the ISHR.

“This behaviour is in line with Germany’s appeasement-based foreign policy. Raisi does not stand for the Iranian people, but for their oppressors and executioners. The majority of people in Iran do not mourn him,” says Valerio Krüger, spokesperson for the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR).

The Iranian democracy movement criticised Raisi’s presidency as early as his election in 2021. Human rights activist Narges Mohammadi demanded “justice for the victims of murders, executions, imprisonment, torture, poverty and misery. Mr Raisi must be held accountable before he becomes president.” The fact that the EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell as well as other European mandate holders and the UN Security Council are also paying tribute to the man responsible for thousands of executions is a disturbing signal, as it is a mockery of the thousands of families of the victims, warns the human rights organisation.

The Federal Chancellor is condoling a Vice President who, like Raisi, stands for an Islamist, misogynistic and anti-Semitic criminal regime. At the same time, the German government has failed to take clear steps against the Mullah regime for years, according to the ISHR.

Those who offer condolences must also act
Anyone who condoles with such a regime must credibly stand up for human rights. The IGFM calls on Chancellor Scholz to classify the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, to close propaganda and espionage centres such as the Islamic Centre Hamburg and to demand the immediate release of all German political prisoners such as Jamshid Sharmahd and Nahid Taghavi in Iran.