SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Iranian-Americans gathered in downtown San Diego Friday to rally against the new President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi.
Members of the Coalition of Democracy and Human Rights in Iran stood in front of the Hall of Justice calling for Raisi to answer for his alleged role in the massacre of thousands of political prisoners.
The rally is the latest demonstration held across the United States in opposition against the country's new leader.
“The violation of human rights are continuing and just recently there were protests in Iran that were widely suppressed,” Bahram Maher, a member of the organization, said.
The protest comes on the anniversary of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran.
A table showed just forty faces of the thousands of people murdered for speaking out against the regime.
Zohreh’s sister was one of them.
“They killed her without letting us know where she was buried," she said.
There were also posters of lawyers, activists and other people currently imprisoned in Iran.
Raisi is said to be a senior member of the “death committee” that ordered the executions.
Last week, he was sworn as Iran’s supreme leader, which caused unrest and demonstrations across the country.
The organization is now calling on the Biden Administration for Raisi to face international human rights charges and help get justice for their loved ones.
“We want to ask the administration to support the struggle of the Iranian people for freedom," Maher said. "We believe that’s the only way to have a peaceful Middle East.”
In 2019, Hamid Nouri, one of the people accused of helping carry out the executions, was arrested for his role in the 1988 massacre. He stands trial in Sweden this week. The organization hopes Nouri's trial will lead to an investigation into Raisi's alleged crimes.
