Iranians CELEBRATE the death of President Raisi with fireworks while victims of ... trends now
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has declared the nation will observe five days of mourning following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a devastating helicopter crash in the mountainous northwest of the country yesterday.
But there are plenty of Iranians who are instead celebrating the unexpected death of the president, who has earned a reputation as a brutal, hardline executor of Khamenei's will.
The daughters of Minoo Majidi - a 62-year-old Iranian woman who was one of hundreds of people shot dead by security services during the nationwide fallout following the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 - shared a video to social media raising a glass to the president's demise.
That clip was followed swiftly by two more Iranian women, Mersedeh Shahinkar and Sima Moradbeigi, dancing and smiling in response to the news Raisi's helicopter had plunged into the mountainside.
Shahinkar was blinded by the security forces' brutality amid the 2022 protests, while Moradbeigi lost the use of one of her arms after an armed guard blasted her elbow apart from point-blank range.
A slew of other videos shared to social media appeared to show people setting off fireworks in the streets of Tehran in celebration - though these clips are yet to be verified.
Mersedeh Shahinkar and Sima Moradbeigi, who were seriously injured by Iranian security agents amid the protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, are seen dancing and smiling in response to the news Raisi's helicopter had plunged into the mountainside
The pair shared the clip of them celebrating Raisi's death on social media
The daughters of a woman shot dead by Iranian security during protests cheers to his death
The pair raised a glass to the President's passing in a video shared on social media
One clip shared to social media appeared to show people setting off fireworks in the streets following news of Raisi's death
Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi is dead after his helicopter crashed near the border with Azerbaijan Sunday
Iranian rescue workers work near the wreckage of the crashed Iranian President helicopter, in the area of Varzaghan, Tabriz province, southwestern Iran, 20 May 2024
Rescue team carry a body following a crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, in Varzaqan, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, May 20, 2024
This grab taken from handout video footage released by the Iranian Red Cescent on May 20, 2024 shows rescuers recovering bodies at the site of President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crash
In this photo provided by Moj News Agency, rescue team members work at the scene of a crash of a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Varzaghan in northwestern Iran, Monday, May 20, 2024
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is confirmed dead after rescuers found a helicopter carrying him and other officials that had crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran. Drone footage from the site of the crash is seen in this still image
Rescuers are seen amid the wreckage
Raisi, who became president of Iran in 2021, was widely seen as a vassal for the regime and a yes man to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
He stormed to the presidency with a huge majority following the 2021 elections - but less than half of Iran's electorate turned out to vote after many more moderate candidates were barred from running.
As a young student at a religious seminary in the holy city of Qom, Raisi took part in protests against the Western-backed Shah in the 1979 revolution.
His contacts with religious leaders in Qom made him a trusted figure in the judiciary, and he became Iran's deputy prosecutor aged just 25.
Raisi quickly worked his way to the top - and in doing so earned himself the moniker 'the Butcher of Tehran'.
As deputy prosecutor and subsequently chief prosecutor, Raisi
