Memorial for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi muted amid public discontent
Thousands of Iranians turned out to mourn the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
State media broadcast footage of large crowds gathering in Tabriz, near the crash site in northwest Iran. This marked the beginning of a three-day mourning procession for the former president.
Raisi, 63, was among eight passengers, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, on the helicopter. The crash occurred in a foggy, mountainous region south of Azerbaijan.
Despite the large turnout, many Iranians celebrated Raisi’s death on social media. His funeral's international attendance remains uncertain, as Raisi faced U.S. sanctions for his role in the 1988 mass executions and abuses against protesters and dissidents during his judiciary tenure. Under Raisi, Iran also supplied bomb-carrying drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
"I don't feel comfortable sending condolences while Iran is sending drones that are used against civilians in Ukraine," tweeted Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
Raisi was unpopular with much of Iran’s young population. Following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, detained for her allegedly loose hijab, weeks of protests erupted. The subsequent crackdown killed over 500 people and saw more than 22,000 detained.
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