Reps. Mace and Moskowitz Urge Biden Admin to Deny Visas to Iran President

The pair says the call for action is based on Raisi’s “long record of appalling human rights violations, including his role in the ‘Death Commissions’ that massacred 30,000 political prisoners in 1988.” Raisi continues to defend these crimes against humanity and oversee ongoing efforts to assassinate dissidents both in Iran and abroad. Last year, Raisi attended the UN General Assembly and spoke about “fighting injustice” while at the same time his country was murdering protestors.

Denying visas to Iranians officials would follow a precedent set by both President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump.

“Last year, the U.S. government refused to let the world’s best tennis player, Novak Djokovic, into the country to play tennis because he was unvaccinated,” Rep. Mace said. “This week, the same Administration is prepared to give murderers and war criminals visas. If the United States is to truly stand against war crimes, our federal government cannot give legitimacy to those who commit them. We cannot be unwilling to stand up to leaders who do not care about basic human rights.”