Ebrahim Raisi Chopper Crash: Iranians Worldwide Sing, Dance To Celebrate Iran President's Death (WATCH)

(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Following the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in the mountainous northwest of the country on Sunday night, Iranians around the world have taken to the streets to celebrate the passing of the man known as 'The Butcher of Tehran.' Raisi, notorious for his brutal, hardline enforcement of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's policies, has left a controversial legacy.

Despite Khamenei's declaration of a five-day period of mourning, many Iranians in the country and across cities world over are openly rejoicing at the unexpected demise of the president.

A slew of other videos shared to social media from Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark and several other countries show people chanting 'Helicopter', singing, dancing and waving the historic flag of Iran with a golden lion at its centre - a sign of protest against the Tehran regime.

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Here's a look at how some of the videos that have gone viral on X, formerly Twitter:

Ebrahim Raisi, who became Iran's president in 2021, was widely regarded as a loyal subordinate to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He secured the presidency with a significant majority in the 2021 elections, though voter turnout was below 50% after numerous moderate candidates were disqualified from running.

As a young student in the religious seminary of Qom, Raisi participated in protests against the Western-backed Shah during the 1979 revolution. His connections with religious leaders in Qom made him a trusted figure within the judiciary, leading to his appointment as Iran's deputy prosecutor at the age of 25.

Raisi rapidly ascended the judicial ranks, earning the nickname 'the Butcher of Tehran.' As deputy prosecutor and later chief prosecutor, he served on the notorious 'death committee' in 1988. This committee of four judges oversaw the re-trials of political prisoners, resulting in the execution and disposal of thousands in unmarked graves. Human rights groups estimate that approximately 5,000 people were killed under Raisi's harsh rulings.

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Ebrahim Raisi's loyalty to the Islamic Republic and its Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini was well established throughout the 1980s. During this time, he also developed a close relationship with the then-president, Ali Khamenei. When Khamenei became Supreme Leader in 1989 after Khomeini's death, he played a key role in paving Raisi's path to the presidency in 2021.

Following his election, Raisi's hardline stance became increasingly evident. In 2022, he mandated stricter enforcement of Iran's 'hijab and chastity law,' which regulates women's dress and behavior. Under these orders, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was detained by the 'morality police' in September 2022 for wearing an 'improper' hijab and died three days later in hospital. Her death sparked widespread unrest, leading to months of nationwide protests that posed one of the most significant challenges to Iran's clerical rulers since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Rights groups reported that hundreds of people, including dozens of security personnel, were killed in the intense crackdown on demonstrators. President Raisi declared, "Acts of chaos are unacceptable."

Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), stated that Raisi's death represented a "monumental strategic blow to the mullahs' Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the entire regime."

She suggested that his death could inspire further rebellion against the government.

Rajavi added, "The curse of mothers and those seeking justice for the executed, along with the damnation of the Iranian people and history, mark the legacy of Ebrahim Raisi, the notorious perpetrator of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners."

Iranian authorities raised the alarm on Sunday afternoon after losing contact with President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter as it flew through a fog-shrouded mountain area in the Jolfa region of East Azerbaijan province. Earlier, Raisi had met with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev at their common border to inaugurate a dam project.

During the return trip, only two of the three helicopters in Raisi's convoy landed in the city of Tabriz, prompting a massive search and rescue effort. Multiple foreign governments soon offered their assistance. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi initially spoke of a 'hard landing' and urged citizens to disregard hostile foreign media channels and rely solely on state television for information.

The search operation involved army personnel, Revolutionary Guards, police officers, and Red Crescent teams, who trekked up a hill in the fog and rain as emergency services vehicles lined up nearby. Across the predominantly Shiite nation, Muslims began to pray for those missing, including in mosques in Raisi's hometown of Mashhad.

As dawn broke on Monday, rescue crews reported locating the destroyed aircraft with nine people on board. State television channel IRIB reported online that the helicopter had 'hit a mountain and disintegrated' on impact.

Iran's Red Crescent chief, Pirhossein Koolivand, confirmed that the organization's staff were "transferring the bodies of the martyrs to Tabriz" and announced that "the search operations have come to an end."

Following the news of President Raisi's helicopter crash, some Iranians took to the streets to pray for him overnight. "We were very sad when we learned the news," said 63-year-old retiree Nabi Karam, a resident of Tehran. "Our president was a very good leader, may God bless him."

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