Iran's President-Elect Vows To Protect Human Rights In Light Of Alleged Crimes Accusations

Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday that he had always protected human rights and vows to continue doing so as he tries to ward off allegations of possible involvement in crimes against humanity leveled against him by human rights watchdog

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st June, 2021) Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday that he had always protected human rights and vows to continue doing so as he tries to ward off allegations of possible involvement in crimes against humanity leveled against him by human rights watchdog.

Amnesty International on Saturday called for an investigation into Raisi over his possible links to crimes against humanity, including murder, enforced disappearance and torture of "thousands of political dissidents" in Evin and Gohardasht prisons near Tehran in 1988. The watchdog urged member states of the UN Human Rights Council to "take concrete steps to address the crisis of systematic impunity in Iran."

"Since the beginning of my work as a human rights activist, I have always protected the rights of the people.

Human rights are the most important provision that I have always adhered to in all my activities ... everything I did during my activities turned upon the protection of human rights," Raisi said at his first press conference as the country's head.

The president-elect also pledged to make every effort to ensure human rights are respected in the middle Eastern country, adding that all abusers should be held accountable, while real human rights activists should be encouraged.

Raisi won the Iranian presidential election with roughly 62 percent of the vote, or nearly 18 million votes, last week. He is set to take office in August.