Iran hardliner linked to mass executions likely to become next president, as regime excludes opponents

Iran’s theocratic regime is paving the way for a hardliner, who is linked to mass executions and human rights abuses, to become the country’s next president -- as dissidents cry foul over what they see as a rigged election, and are calling for mass boycotts.

Raisi was one of a number of officials sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2019 over human rights abuses. The Treasury Department cited U.S. reports that, under Raisi, the judiciary had sanctioned the execution of child offenders and arrested lawyers for defending political prisoners and human rights defenders. Raisi previously served as prosecutor general of Tehran between 1989 and 1994 as well as the first deputy head of the judiciary between 2004 and 2014. The U.S. government has noted his involvement in what it described as a "brutal" crackdown on Iran’s Green Movement protesters following the 2009 election.