Complaint in Switzerland accuses Iran President of committing ‘crimes against humanity’

On Monday, a legal complaint was filed urging Swiss authorities to arrest Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during his planned visit to the country and to charge him with committing crimes against humanity in connection with the 1988 campaign against the opposition.

The complaint calls on the Swiss Federal Public Prosecutor, Andreas Muller, to ensure the arrest and prosecution of Raisi judicially for his "participation in acts of genocide, torture, extrajudicial executions, and other crimes against humanity."

Raisi was supposed to participate in the "Global Refugee Forum" organized by the United Nations, scheduled in Geneva on Wednesday.

However, the United Nations announced Monday evening that Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian would lead the Iranian delegation, indicating that Raisi might not attend.

The Office of the Federal Prosecutor still needs to confirm receipt of the dated complaint on Monday, as Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

The complaint was filed by three people suspected of being victims of the Iranian security campaign against the opposition in the 1980s.

The complainants on Monday asserted that they could personally identify Raisi as he was part of a committee that referred thousands of imprisoned dissidents to execution during the security campaign.

The complaint stated that he held the position of Deputy Public Prosecutor in Tehran at that time and distinguished himself in the committee for his eagerness to issue death sentences for prisoners.

The other two complainants, imprisoned in Iran in 1988, claimed to recognize Raisi as a "member of the death committee," according to the complaint.

Simultaneously with the legal complaint, an international campaign was launched expressing outrage at Raisi's participation in the UN forum and demanding his judicial prosecution for "his involvement in past and ongoing crimes under international law."

The petition stated that "Raisi was one of the key perpetrators of the 1988 massacre that targeted thousands of political prisoners. His presence at the UN forum contradicts the core values advocated by the United Nations."

In addition, the petition has gathered over two hundred signatures from prominent figures, including Nobel laureates, judges, former ministers, parliamentarians, academics, and human rights experts at the United Nations.

AFP