Iranian Women Celebrate Following President’s Fatal Helicopter Crash

Trigger warning: execution, police brutality, death

Iranian women have been celebrating the death of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, known as the “Butcher of Tehran,” following his fatal helicopter crash amid widespread backlash for his brutal crackdown on protests and human rights violations.

“We freely dance and celebrate on your dirty grave,” Mersedeh Shahinkar cheered alongside her friend, Sima Moradbeigi, in a video shared on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Mersedeh was blinded by Iranian security forces after taking part in mass protests. Sima lost her right arm after being shot by cops during a women’s rights protest.

Iranian Journalist Masih Alinejad shared a video of a mother dancing with her daughter. She captioned it: “Just a few months ago, Ebrahim Raisi executed her son, Now, she’s dancing over his death in a helicopter crash.”

Iranian women are celebrating the death of former President Ebrahim Raisi, known as the “Butcher of Tehran”

Image credits: mersedeh_eye

“I told you Iranian women are wounded, but unbowed to their oppressors.

“My social media is flooded with videos of the family members of those killed by the President of the Islamic Republic, celebrating his death.”

The daughters of Minoo Majidi, a 62-year-old Iranian woman who was killed by Iranian authorities during the September 2022 Iranian protests, also celebrated, as shown in a video shared on X.

ما بر سر گور کثیف و نجستتان آزادانه میرقصیم و جشن میگیریم#زن_زندگی_ازادی@simamoradb51053pic.twitter.com/RnHP9Ht8ir

— MersedeH_eye (@mersedeh_eye) May 19, 2024

Civil unrest and protests against the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran associated with the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini began on 16 September 2022 and carried on into 2023.

Mahsa was a 22-year-old Iranian woman who died in a hospital in Tehran under suspicious circumstances. 

The Guidance Patrol, the religious morality police of Iran’s government, arrested her for allegedly not wearing the hijab in accordance with government standards.

The former president died in a helicopter crash on Sunday (May 19)

Image credits: kian_irani_rev

The Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran stated that she had a heart attack at a police station, collapsed, and fell into a coma before being transferred to a hospital.

However, eyewitnesses, including women who were detained with Mahsa, reported that she was severely beaten and that she died as a result of police brutality.

In September 2023, the BBC reported that the protests were “unlike any the country had seen before,” while The Guardian said they were the “biggest challenge” to the government.

While we celebrate the death of the Butcher of Tehran, Raisi, we also hope Khamenei’s turn comes soon. The brave Iranian women will never stop fighting against the barbaric regime of the mullahs in Iran. #Raisipic.twitter.com/X4EOlO8fvN

— Kian Irani کیان ایرانی (@kian_irani_rev) May 21, 2024

The celebration highlighted the ex-president’s brutal crackdown on protests and human rights violations

Image credits: mahsa_piraei

In August 2023, The New Yorker reported that the protests were the “most widespread revolt” since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Ebrahim earned the nickname “Butcher of Tehran” due to his role in overseeing severe human rights abuses, particularly during his time as a judge and later as the head of the judiciary in Iran. 

Notably, he was involved in the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988, where thousands of dissidents were killed without fair trials. 

هلیکوپتر
هلیکوپتر
🍻🚁 pic.twitter.com/4ob9LPIZaI

— Mahsa Piraei مهسا پیرایی (@mahsa_piraei) May 19, 2024

“We freely dance and celebrate on your dirty grave,” a women who was blinded in a protest said

Image credits: AlinejadMasih

His tenure as a top judicial official was marked by a brutal crackdown on political dissent, widespread use of torture, and suppression of protests, including the 2022 demonstrations against the Islamic “morality police.” 

The ultra-conservative president was killed on Sunday (May 19), along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other high-ranking officials, in a helicopter crash in Iran’s remote northwest, CNN reported on Monday (May 20).

Power has now been reportedly transferred to Mohammad Mokhber, who served as Ebrahim’s vice president and was approved on Monday as acting president by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the final arbiter of domestic and foreign affairs in the Islamic Republic.

Just a few months ago, Ebrahim Raisi executed her son, Now, she’s dancing over his death in a helicopter crash.
I told you Iranian women are wounded, but unbowed to their oppressors.
My social media is flooded with videos of the family members of those killed by the President of… pic.twitter.com/y2PR1XkGGx

— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) May 20, 2024

Ebrahim earned the nickname “Butcher of Tehran” due to his role in overseeing severe human rights abuses

Image credits: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The country must, by law, hold elections within the next 50 days, as per CNN. 

On Monday, Iranian state news IRNA said Iran’s presidential elections will take place on Friday, June 28. 

Candidates can register from May 30 to June 3, and campaigning will run from June 12 until the morning of June 27, it added.

“The women are the freedom fighters,” a reader commented

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