NEW YORK CITY: As Iran is rocked by furious nationwide protests following the death on Friday of Mahsa Amini — a 22-year-old Iranian woman who died after police beat her for “improperly” wearing the hijab — President Ebrahim Raisi might have hoped to escape the anger swelling in his country while he attends the UN General Assembly in New York this week.
But he faces the threat of being served with a lawsuit in the city by Iranian dissidents and Westerners who were held hostage by the regime in Tehran and accuse him of personal involvement in the torture and mistreatment they endured.
The lawsuit, which is supported by the National Union for Democracy in Iran, is being filed in the Southern District of New York by human rights attorney Shahin Milani on behalf of victims of Raisi’s alleged crimes.
The plaintiffs claim they endured acts of torture that were either directly ordered or substantially assisted by Raisi, which means the Iranian president is liable to face a civil lawsuit under the US Torture Victim Protection Act.
Cameron Khansarinia, NUFDI’s policy director, introduced the plaintiffs during a press conference at a private club in midtown Manhattan.
“We are here today to announce and outline in detail an historic, federal, civil lawsuit against Ebrahim Raisi,” he said.
“The plaintiffs in this case — Iranian dissidents, former Iranian hostages, former Western hostages — are coming together in unprecedented fashion to take a step forward for justice.”
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Khansarinia told Arab News: “Raisi is in New York and it’s important that while the media is covering him, they’re also covering his victims.
“We want to have it recorded in the US judiciary that Ebrahim Raisi’s victims are standing up to him, that he is a criminal, that he is being accused, and in our view is guilty, of torture. This is important for setting a new legal precedent for such cases.
“Secondly, we are giving a voice to the Iranian people and to his victims, and allowing them for the first time to speak up because for so long they have been silenced by the regime and, unfortunately, often even by those in the West, so it’s an important opportunity for them to speak their truth today.”
During the press briefing, which was also supported by the NUFDI, four of those victims shared the details of their experiences at the hands of the Iranian regime: Mehdi Hajati, a city councilor and dissident; Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a British-Australian academic and former hostage of the regime; Hamid Babaei, a Belgian-Iranian academic and former hostage; and Ahmad Batebi, a former political prisoner.
They were joined by Navid Mohebbi, who was once the youngest journalist in the world in detention when he was imprisoned by the regime in Tehran. Milani, the lead attorney in the lawsuit, stressed that the civil case directly targets Raisi personally and not the Islamic Republic of Iran as a whole.
Moore-Gilbert described years of “gross mistreatment” and “psychological and physical torture” while in detention. Raisi was head of Iran’s judiciary when she was convicted, sentenced, denied an appeal, and transferred to prison. She said she holds him “ultimately responsible for the mistreatment and injustice” she endured.
She said that the judge at her trial was “clearly a puppet” of the government and not “capable of making independent decisions.” She was not even aware she had a lawyer until a couple of weeks before her hearings, she added.
Moore-Gilbert, speaking via video link, said she was “unable to present evidence during the trial” and could not understand the proceedings because they were conducted entirely in Farsi. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison on “ludicrous charges” of espionage. She was immediately placed in solitary confinement for seven months, one of the many examples of cruel and unjust punishment she said she endured, which also included exposure to infectious diseases and denial of medical care.
“He is ultimately responsible for my mistreatment,” Moore-Gilbert said of Raisi, adding: “I am taking part in this lawsuit under the TVPA in order to hold Raisi accountable for one injustice: My own.”
Babaei, another academic unjustly imprisoned in Iran, described the repulsive conditions he endured during his time in detention, revealing that inmates were not even provided with cups for drinking water.
“I lived in a constant trauma,” he said as he told how he saw fellow prisoners being taken away to be hanged, which he said kept him in a continuous state of fear that he would be next.
Mohebbi said that Iranians have been “exposed to continuous trauma over the last 43 years.”
Describing his experiences in prison, he said the entire judiciary system, in which “the punishment of a defender is already sealed,” had conspired against him.
He said: “With this lawsuit, the survivors and victims of the regime send a very clear message to the butchers of Tehran that you will never break our soul, our resilience, and our fight for our human dignity is not one that we will lose.”
The lawsuit brings three cases to the court, he added, but they “represent thousands of Iranians whose rights to express justice, their rights to express themselves, and their rights to express their suffering has been taken away.”
Marjam Keypour Greenblatt, a human rights activist and non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute, told Arab News: “I am here to support the rights of Iranian people who are having their rights violated by the regime on a regular basis. I am here to echo their voices and to make sure there is justice where justice is rarely seen.”
Justice is the ultimate goal of the civil case against Raisi but success in achieving this justice, which thousands of others have been denied, could be a difficult prospect.
Gissou Nia, director of the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Litigation Project, told Arab News that the TVPA is “the right act to use here because you can seek remedies for crimes that were committed elsewhere.”
She added: “The legal team wants to serve process but provided that he is served then there would be determinations around immunity. With this particular matter, if the defendant was a head of government from France or Germany (for example), then the court would most likely take judicial notice and say that Raisi is protected by head-of-state immunity.
“But because it’s Iran, and under US law there are some different exceptions to state immunity as it applies to Iran, the court may opt to ask the State Department for their view. This could take a while but there is a chance that the suit moves forward.”
Raisi is not obliged to respond to a civil lawsuit, however, and if he chooses not to engage with the legal proceedings the court could issue a default ruling against him and in favor of the plaintiffs.
The president is not a member of Iran’s permanent mission to the UN and therefore does not qualify for diplomatic immunity. However he is afforded protection from being served with legal papers while he is in the UN headquarters and the surrounding district, and while traveling between there and his accommodation. However, the legal papers could be served against him if his accommodation in New York, or any non-official activities he takes part in, are outside the borders of the UN district.
Nizar Zakka, a former prisoner of the Iranian regime, told Arab News: “The most important part of this lawsuit is that the Iranian regime needs to know that they will be hunted wherever they go (and) they will be sued until they stop these activities, like hostage-taking, that they have been doing since 1979.”
For those dissident Iranians and Western hostages who continue to endure physical and psychological trauma after years of unjust confinement, that hunt continues this week in New York City.
Iranian dissidents, former hostages of regime launch lawsuit against Raisi
https://arab.news/g2pej
Iranian dissidents, former hostages of regime launch lawsuit against Raisi
- Activists call for justice in a US federal civil case against President Ebrahim Raisi, who is in New York this week for the UN General Assembly
- ‘I have lived in constant trauma,’ said one victim of unjust detention and torture who saw fellow prisoners taken to be hanged and feared he would be next
Israeli attorney general orders probe into report that alleged Netanyahu's wife harassed opponents
The Israeli Justice Ministry made the announcement in a terse message late Thursday, saying the investigation would focus on the findings of a recent report by the “Uvda” investigative program into Sara Netanyahu.
The program uncovered a trove of WhatsApp messages in which Mrs. Netanyahu appears to instruct a former aide to organize protests against political opponents and to intimidate Hadas Klein, a key witness in the trial.
The announcement did not mention Mrs. Netanyahu by name, and the Justice Ministry declined further comment.
But in a video released earlier Thursday, Netanyahu listed what he said were the many kind and charitable acts by his wife and blasted the Uvda report as “lies.”
It was the latest in a long line of legal troubles for the Netanyahus — highlighted by the prime minister's ongoing corruption trial.
Netanyahu is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of cases alleging he exchanged favors with powerful media moguls and wealthy associates. Netanyahu denies the charges and says he is the victim of a “witch hunt” by overzealous prosecutors, police and the media.
Regional challenges cost Egypt around $7 bln of Suez Canal revenues in 2024, El-Sisi says
- Egypt lost more than 60 percent of the canal’s revenues in 2024 compared with 2023, El-Sisi said
CAIRO: Events in the Red Sea and regional challenges cost Egypt around $7 billion in revenues from the Suez Canal in 2024, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Thursday.
Egypt lost more than 60 percent of the canal’s revenues in 2024 compared with 2023, El-Sisi added in his statement, without going into details on the events.
Houthi fighters in Yemen have carried out nearly 100 attacks on ships crossing the Red Sea since November in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s more than year-old war in Gaza.
The attacks have forced shipping firms to divert vessels from the Suez Canal to longer routes around Africa, disrupting global trade by delaying deliveries and sending costs higher.
Israeli incursion into Wadi Al-Hujeir raises fears of revived Israeli buffer zone
- UNIFIL says actions that threaten ceasefire must stop
BEIRUT: On Thursday, Israeli forces advanced into the Lebanese border area through Al-Qantara and Aadchit Al-Qusayr, heading toward Wadi Al-Hujeir. The incursion lasted several hours.
Israeli tanks were seen heading into Wadi Al-Hujeir. The incursion, carried out in broad daylight, prompted warnings from the Lebanese army and UNIFIL.
The Lebanese army said: “The Israeli enemy continues its violations of the ceasefire agreement, attacking Lebanon’s sovereignty, its citizens, and destroying southern villages and towns.” UNIFIL, meanwhile, said that “any actions threatening the fragile cessation of hostilities must stop.”
The Israeli incursion into Wadi Al-Hujeir is the first of its kind since Oct. 1, the start of Israel’s ground war in Lebanon, and since the ceasefire came into effect on Nov. 27.
Wadi Al-Hujeir is a rugged valley in Jabal Amel, adjacent to the Israeli border. It lies between the districts of Marjayoun, Bint Jbeil, and Nabatieh. The valley extends from the Litani River in Qaaqaait Al-Jisr below the city of Nabatieh to the town of Aitaroun in the Bint Jbeil district. Several towns surround it, including Al-Qantara, Aalman, Al-Ghandourieh, Majdal Selm, Qabrikha, Touline, and Taybeh.
A Lebanese security source expressed concern, stating: “This incursion into previously untouched areas, accompanied by extensive combing operations, (is) a significant expansion of the Israeli enemy’s occupation map and recalls the border zone Israel established in the 1970s through firepower and occupation, which it withdrew from entirely in 2000.”
The incursion forced families in Al-Qantara to flee to Al-Ghandourieh, at the western edge of the valley.
The Israeli army also erected earthen berms between Wadi Al-Hujeir and Wadi Saluki to block the valley road.
In response, the Lebanese army closed the road leading to Wadi Al-Hujeir at the Froun intersection in the Qaaqaait Al-Jisr area to ensure the safety of civilians. The municipalities of Majdal Selm, Qabrikha, and Touline advised residents to avoid using the valley road.
During the incursion, Israeli forces shot Lebanese citizen Hussam Fawaz from Tebnine while he was on his way to work at the Indonesian battalion’s headquarters, part of UNIFIL, in Aadchit Al-Qusayr. He was hit in the head while driving his car, abducted by the Israeli forces, and later handed over, wounded, to UNIFIL and the Lebanese Red Cross.
The Lebanese army command stated: “Israeli forces advanced into several points in the areas of Al-Qantara, Aadchit Al-Qusayr, and Wadi Al-Hujeir. The army reinforced its presence in these areas and the army command continues to monitor the situation in coordination with UNIFIL and the quintet committee overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.”
UNIFIL underlined its role in supporting both countries to ensure the area south of the Litani River is free of any armed personnel, assets or weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon and UNIFIL, as well as respect for the Blue Line.
UNIFIL said: “There is concern at continuing destruction by the IDF (Israeli forces) in residential areas, agricultural land, and road networks in south Lebanon. This is in violation of resolution 1701.”
In the afternoon, it was reported that the Israeli forces that infiltrated into Lebanese territory, withdrew toward Wadi Saluki.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued using machine guns to strafe the border towns it had infiltrated, especially from Maroun Al-Ras toward Bint Jbeil. It also targeted the Aita Al-Shaab town with artillery shelling.
According to security reports, “the Israeli army was surprised by the scale of tunnels built by Hezbollah in the border area and the number that has been discovered. It is racing against time to uncover the remaining ones, destroy them and bulldoze Hezbollah’s facilities before the end of the 60-day period, half of which has already passed, for a complete withdrawal under the ceasefire agreement.”
The security source stated: “The Israeli army seems to lack confidence in the Lebanese army’s ability to destroy these Hezbollah facilities when it is deployed in the border area. It is determined to carry out this mission before its withdrawal.”
On Thursday, Israeli media reported that the “Israeli army is preparing for the possibility of remaining in southern Lebanon beyond the 60 days outlined in the ceasefire agreement.”
The Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported that the army “has begun establishing infrastructure for military posts along the northern border, with some of them located on the Lebanese side of the border.” It added: “During 30 days, the Israeli army killed 44 Hezbollah members who violated the ceasefire agreement — according to the army — carried out 25 attacks on Lebanese sites and recorded 120 violations of the agreement by the Lebanese side.”
On the Lebanese front, Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad said: “The Israeli incursion toward Wadi al-Hujair is a highly dangerous development and a serious threat to the implementation of Resolution 1701.”
He called on the Lebanese state, “the government, army and concerned parties, to review the current performance, which has shown a complete failure to curb Israel’s continued hostilities.”
MP Kassem Hashem, from the Amal Movement bloc, described Israel’s incursion as “an occupation of additional areas of Lebanese territory and an attack on Lebanese sovereignty in light of the ceasefire agreement supervised by international entities with presence and influence.”
He said that “if such violations continue at this level, it is considered an occupation, and Lebanon has the right to defend its sovereignty and national dignity.”
Syria authorities arrest official behind Saydnaya death penalties
- Confirmation by monitor of his detention came a day after deadly clashes erupted in province of Tartus, an Assad stronghold, when gunmen sought to protect him
DAMASCUS: Syria’s new authorities have arrested a military justice official who under ousted president Bashar Assad issued death sentences for detainees in the notorious Saydnaya prison, a war monitor said Thursday.
The confirmation by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights of his detention came a day after deadly clashes erupted in the coastal province of Tartus, an Assad stronghold, when gunmen sought to protect him.
Mohammed Kanjo Hassan is the highest-ranking officer whose arrest has been announced since Assad’s ousting on December 8.
Assad fled for Russia after a militant offensive wrested from his control city after city until Damascus fell, ending his clan’s five-decade rule and sparking celebrations in Syria and beyond.
The offensive caught Assad and his inner circle by surprise and while fleeing the country he took with him only a handful of confidants.
Many others were left behind, including his brother Maher Assad, who according to a Syrian military source fled to Iraq before heading to Russia.
Other collaborators were believed to have taken refuge in their hometowns in Alawite regions that were once a stronghold of the Assad clan.
According to the Association of Detainees and Missing Persons of Saydnaya Prison, Kanjo Hassan headed Syria’s military field court from 2011 to 2014, the first three years of the war that began with Assad’s crackdown on Arab Spring-inspired democracy protests.
He was later promoted to chief of military justice nationwide, the group’s co-founder Diab Serriya said, adding that he sentenced “thousands of people” to death.
The Saydnaya complex, the site of extrajudicial executions, torture and forced disappearances, epitomised the atrocities committed against Assad’s opponents.
The fate of tens of thousands of prisoners and missing people remains one of the most harrowing legacies of his rule.
After 13 years of civil war, Syria’s new leaders from Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) face the monumental task of safeguarding the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country from further collapse.
With its roots in Syria’s branch of Al-Qaeda, a Sunni Muslim extremist group, HTS has moderated its rhetoric and vowed to ensure protection for minorities, including the Alawite community from which Assad hails.
With 500,000 killed in the war and more than 100,000 still missing, the new authorities have also pledged justice for the victims of abuses under the deposed ruler.
They also face the substantial task of restoring security to a country ravaged by war and where arms have become ubiquitous.
During the offensive that precipitated Assad’s ousting, militants flung open the doors of prisons and detention centers around the country, letting out thousands of people.
In central Damascus, relatives of some of the missing have hung up posters of their loved ones in the hope that with Assad gone, they may one day learn what happened to them.
World powers and international organizations have called for the urgent establishment of mechanisms for accountability.
With the judiciary not yet reorganized since Assad’s toppling, it is unclear how detainees suspected of crimes linked to the former authorities will be tried.
Some members of the Alawite community fear that with Assad gone, they will be at risk of attacks from groups hungry for revenge or driven by sectarian hate.
On Wednesday, angry protests erupted in several areas around Syria, including Assad’s hometown of Qardaha, over a video showing an attack on an Alawite shrine that circulated online.
The Observatory said that one demonstrator was killed and five others wounded “after security forces... opened fire to disperse” a crowd in the central city of Homs.
The transitional authorities appointed by HTS said in a statement that the shrine attack took place early this month, with the interior ministry saying it was carried out by “unknown groups” and that republishing the video served to “stir up strife.”
On Thursday, the information ministry introduced a ban on publishing or distributing “any content or information with a sectarian nature aimed at spreading division and discrimination.”
In one of Wednesday’s protests over the video, large crowds chanted slogans including “Alawite, Sunni, we want peace.”
Assad long presented himself as a protector of minority groups in Sunni-majority Syria, though critics said he played on sectarian divisions to stay in power.
In Homs, where the authorities imposed a nighttime curfew, 42-year-old resident Hadi reported “a vast deployment of HTS men in areas where there were protests.”
“There is a lot of fear,” he said.
In coastal Latakia, protester Ghidak Mayya, 30, said that for now, Alawites were “listening to calls for calm,” but putting too much pressure on the community “risks an explosion.”
Noting the anxieties, Sam Heller of the Century Foundation think tank told AFP that Syria’s new rulers had to balance dealing with sectarian tensions while promising that those responsible for abuses under Assad would be held accountable.
“But they’re obviously also contending with what seems like a real desire on the part of some of their constituents for what they would say is accountability, maybe also revenge, it depends on how you want to characterise it,” he said.
WHO chief says he is safe after Sanaa airport bombardment
- Tedros was in Yemen as part of a mission to seek the release of detained UN staff and assess the health and humanitarian situations in the war-torn country
GENEVA: The head of the World Health Organization, who was at the Sanaa airport in Yemen amid an Israeli bombardment on Thursday, said there was damage to infrastructure but he remained safe.
“One of our plane’s crew members was injured. At least two people were reported killed at the airport,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X.
Other UN staff were also safe but their departure was delayed until repairs could be made, he added.
Tedros was in Yemen as part of a mission to seek the release of detained UN staff and assess the health and humanitarian situations in the war-torn country.
He said the mission “concluded today,” and “we continue to call for the detainees’ immediate release.”
While about to board their flight, he said “the airport came under aerial bombardment.”
“The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters from where we were — and the runway were damaged.”
The Israeli air strikes came a day after the latest attacks on Israel by Iran-backed Houthis.
The Houthi-held capital’s airport was struck by “more than six” attacks with raids also targeting the adjacent Al-Dailami air base, a witness told AFP.
