UNITED NATIONS - While Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was addressing the United Nations General Assembly inside the elegant chamber on Tuesday, thousands of protesters outside were calling him and his regime terrorist murderers who must face justice.
"Down with the terrorist regime in Iran," chanted a large crowd of protesters within earshot of the diplomats gathering for the international session.
"Raisi is a murderer! Down with Raisi!" the crowd repeatedly chanted. "Prosecute Raisi, now, now, now! Regime change in Iran by the people of Iran!"
"Several thousand of you have come from all over the United States, from over 40 states to come and deliver a strong message to those at the United Nations, that Ebrahim Raisi does not belong to the United Nations. He is a mass murderer, and he must be put on trial for crimes against humanity and genocide," Alireza Jafarzadeh, the Deputy Director of the National Council of Resistance of Iran's U.S. office told the gathering.
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The NCRI is the largest Iranian opposition organization that has fought against the theocratic regime for decades.
"Today is among the ugliest and darkest days of the U.N. because the bloodthirsty president of the mullahs' regime is present there," The group's leader Maryam Rajavi told the protesters over a video feed.
She called for both Raisi's and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s prosecution by the world court in the Hague for crimes against humanity.
"They must place the clerical regime under Chapter VII of the U.N Charter as a threat to world peace and security."
Chapter VII calls for the United Nations Security Council to address "threats to peace, breaches of peace, and acts of aggression." Among its provisions is the potential for using military force to ensure compliance with international law.
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The protesters slammed President Biden's decision to release $6 billion in Iranian oil revenues in exchange for Tehran releasing the five Americans. While the demonstrators are happy and relieved that the hostages are home, they say handing over buckets of billions to the theocratic regime will only fund additional terrorism sponsored by Tehran.
"The Iranian regime has a history of spending its resources on terrorism, on suppressing the Iranian population," Jafarzadeh told Fox News.
"Any money that goes to Iran, no matter how you paint it, is going to end up in the pockets of the Revolutionary Guards to kill people inside Iran and to fund terror abroad. What message does it send to Iran? I think this is a terrible message. By giving money to the mass murder of the Iranian people, that they can get away with murder. They can get away with hostage taking. It makes the hostage taking a profitable business for the ayatollahs. It will lead to more terrorism."
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The administration insists that the $6 billion will only be used for humanitarian purposes, but the protesters said there is no way to enforce that and ensure that Iran complies.
The practice of hostage taking has proven very lucrative for the Iranian regime. The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has calculated that since 1981, the U.S. government has forked over more than $15 billion to Iran to free American hostages taken by the regime.
The protest, which lasted all day, left many energized and even more defiant in their efforts to topple the Iranian regime.
"We are very confident that we will win," Jafarzadeh told the crowd. "We will be victorious; our people will be free."
"The Iran resistance is out there with people like yourselves who have been here day in and day out and will continue to be here until Iran is free."
