Ebrahim Raisi: Iran president die for helicopter crash, state media confam - BBC News Pidgin (2024)

Wia dis foto come from, Reuters

Iran state TV don confam say President Ebrahim Raisi, im foreign minister and odas wey dey inside di helicopter wey crash on Sunday don die.

Foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several oda also dey among di dead

Wen di accident happun, Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia - Turkey even send mountain rescue team to Iran

Early mor-mor on Monday dem identify di body of three more victims from di crash – dem be Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-e Hashem, di imam for Friday prayers in di city of Tabriz, and General Malek Rahmati, di govnor of the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan.

Di commander of di president protection unit, Sardar Seyed Mehdi Mousavi, also die along wit a number of bodyguards and helicopter crew wey dem neva sabi dia names.

Di state media say di helicopter bin get difficulty in landing.

Tori be say President Raisi dey go city of Tabriz, for north west of Iran, afta e return from di border wit Azerbaijan, wia e open di Qiz Qalasi and Khodaafarin dams.

Di area wey di accident happun dey about 50km to di north of Tabriz.

Ahmad Alirezabeigi, Iranian MP for di city of Tabriz, tell tori pipo for Tehran say di oda two helicopters wey dey di convoy land safely.

Who be Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi?

Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images

Oga Raisi, wey die at di age of 63 years old na former hard-line cleric wey dey close to Iran Supreme Leader Ayotallah Ali Khamenei.

Im election for 2021 consolidate di control of conservatives for evri part of di Islamic Republic.

Di former judiciary chief succeed Hassan Rouhani afta im landslide victory for election wey make dem bar plenti moderate and reformists candidates and majority of voters stay away.

Im take power as Iran dey face plenti challenges, including serious economic problems, regional tensions wey don tey, and plenty tok-tok on di revival of one nuclear deal wit world powers.

However, im time for office bin dey dominated by di anti-goment protests wey bin sweep across Iran for 2022, as well as di current war for Gaza between Israel and di Palestinian group Hamas wey Iran dey support, during dis time Iran shadow war wit Israel burst open.

Im bin don also face pressure from many Iranians and human rights activists for investigation into im alleged role for mass executions of political prisoners during di 1980s.

Dem born Ebrahim Raisi for 1960 for Mashhad, wey be di second biggest city for Iran and home to di holiest Shia Muslim shrine.

Im father, na cleric bifor and im die wen Ebrahim Raisi bin dey five years old.

Raisi, wey bin dey always wear black turban to identify am for Shia tradition as a descendant of di Prophet Muhammad, follow im father footsteps as im start to attend one seminary for di holy city of Qom wen im bin dey 15 years..

During im time as student, im bin take part for protests against di Western-backed Shah, wey dem eventually topple for1979 for one Islamic Revolution wey Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini bin lead.

Afta di revolution im join di judiciary and served as a prosecutor for plenti cities as im being dey also undergo training by Ayatollah Khamenei, wey become Iran president for 1981.

Links to Iran 'death committee'

Raisi become di deputy prosecutor for Tehran wen im bin dey only 25 years old.

Wen im dey for dat position im serve as one of di four judges wey dey judge secret tribunals wey dem set up for 1988 wey pipo later know di tribunal as "Death Committee".

Di tribunals "re-try" thousands of prisoners wey bin dey already serve jail sentences for dia political activities.

Most of dem na members of di leftist opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), wey dem also known as di People's Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI).

Di exact number of di pipo wey di tribunals bin sentence to death no dey known, but human rights groups tok say na about 5,000 men and women wey dem bin execute and bury for unmarked mass graves for wetin later become crime against humanity.

Leaders of di Islamic Republic no dey deny say executions bin happun, but dem no dey discuss details and di legality of di individual cases.

Raisi bin dey deny im role for di death sentences evritime. But im also say dem dey justified because of a fatwa, or religious ruling, by Ayatollah Khomeini.

For 2016, one audio tape of one 1988 meeting between Raisi, and several oda members of di judiciary and di Deputy Supreme Leader dat time Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri (1922-2009) bin leak.

For di tape, dem hear as Montazeri dey describe di executions as "di biggest crime for di history of di Islamic Republic".

One year later Montazeri lose im position as di successor of Khomeini wey dem choose.

Ayatollah Khamenei con become di Supreme Leader wen Khomeini die.

Wen dem ask for 2021 about im alleged role for di mass executions, Raisi bin tell reporters: "If a judge, a prosecutor, don defend di security of di pipo, dem suppose praise am... I dey proud to defend human rights in evri position wey I bin don hold so far."

Unlikely presidential ambitions

In 2017, Raisi surprise observers wen im stand for presidency.

Rouhani, wey be im fellow cleric, bin win a second term wit landslide for di first round of di election, im bin get 57% of di vote.

Raisi, wey bin present imsef as an anti-corruption fighter but bin dey face accuse by di president say im bin no dey do anytin to tackle stealing as deputy judiciary chief, finish second wit 38%.

Di loss no spoil Raisi image and for 2019 Ayatollah Khamenei give am di most powerful position as di head of di judiciary.

Di following week, dem also elect am as deputy chairman of di Assembly of Experts, di 88-member clerical body dey responsible for electing di next Supreme Leader.

As judiciary chief, Raisi bin implement reforms reduce di number of pipo wey dem sentence to death and execute for drug-related offences for di kontri.

However, Iran kontinu to put more pipo to death dan any oda kontri apart from China.

Di judiciary also kontinu to work wit di security services to crack down on pipo wey get different opinion from dia own and to prosecute many Iranians wey get dual nationality or foreign permanent residency for spying charges.

Di US President dat time - Donald Trump impose sanctions on Raisi over im human rights record for 2019.

Dem bin accuse am say e get administrative oversight over di execution of individuals wey be juveniles dat time of dia alleged crimes.

Dem also say e get hand for di violent crackdown on di protests by di opposition Green Movement afta di presidential election for 2009 wey dem bin no agree wit.

Wen Raisi announce im candidacy for di 2021 presidential election, im bin declare say I dey "come as an independent to di stage to make changes for di executive management of di kontri and to fight poverty, corruption, humiliation and discrimination".

Dem no too tok about di election again afta di hard-line Guardian Council disqualify plenti prominent moderate and reformist candidates wey overshadow di election tok-tok.

Pipo wey get different opinion and some reformists bin beg voters to boycott di poll, as dem bin dey complain say di process dey engineered to make sure say Raisi no serious competition competition.

Im get a crushing victory, e win 62% of di vote for di first round. However, di turnout bin dey under 49% - a record low for presidential election since di 1979 revolution.

Wen im start im four-year term dat August, Raisi bin promise to "improve di economy and to solve di problems wey di kontri get" and to "support any diplomatic plan" wey lead to di lifting of sanctions.

Im bin dey refer to di long-stalled negotiations on reviving one 2015 deal wey bin dey limit Iran nuclear activities, wey bin don nearly collapse since di Trump administration abandon am and bringback sanctions wey fit cripple US economy for 2018.

Iran don retaliate since wit breaching di restrictions wey dey increase evritime.

Raisi bin also pledge to improve ties wit Iran neighbours while at di same time defend dia regional activities, e describe dem as a "stabilizing force".

A deal wit di US to revive di nuclear deal according to reports close for August 2022, despite Raisi tough stance for di negotiations. However, those efforts con dey overtaken by events for Iran.

Di anti-goment protests

Dat September, di Islamic Republic bin dey shake sake of plenti mass protests wey dey demand to end di clerical rule.

Di "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement bin cause kasala afta one young woman Mahsa Amini, wey bin dey detained by morality police for Tehran sake of accuse say she no wear her hijab "correctly". Authorities deny say dem no treat her well, but one UN fact-finding mission find out say dem bin "subject her to physical violence wey lead to her death".

Raisi bin vow to "deal decisively" wit di protests and authorities suppress dem wit force. Dem neva release any official death toll, but di UN mission tok say credible figures suggest say as many as 551 protesters na im security forces kill, most of dem na by gunfire. Di government says 75 security personnel na im die.

More dan 20,000 oda protesters bin dey reportedly detained and dem execute nine young male protesters afta di UN mission bin see summary proceedings wey rely on confessions wey dem get under torture.

Although di protests eventually reduce, pipo for evriwia continue to tok say dem no like di clerical establishment and hijab laws.

Many women and girls stop to cover dia hair for public - Iran parliament and Raisi bin try to confront dis act wit new law and new crackdowns.

Regional tensions increase

In March 2023, im goment bin agree to one surprise agreement wey go make dem dey work togeda wit Iran bitter rival, regional Sunni power Saudi Arabia, seven years afta dem break diplomatic relations.

But regional tensions bin increase dat October wen Hamas bin carry out one sudden cross-border attack on southern Israel and Israel answer dem back by launching a wide-scale military campaign for Gaza.

Di same time, Iran network of allied armed groups and proxies wey dey operate across di Middle East - including Hezbollah for Lebanon, di Houthis for Yemen, and various militias for Iraq and Syria - significantly step up dia attacks against Israel for wetin dem tok say na demonstration of solidarity wit di Palestinians.

Pipo bin dey fear say di escalation fit cause regional war wey increase for April, afta Iran do dia first direct military strike on Israel.

Raisi bin support di decision to launch more dan 300 drones and missiles for Israel to retaliate for di deadly strike on di Iranian consulate for Syria.

Israel, dia Wetern allies and Arab partners bin shoot almost all of dem down.

Na only one airbase for southern Israel wey bin get small damage wen one of di missile hit am.

Israel respond wit one missile wey hit one Iranian air base afta Western nations bin tell dem to stop.

Raisi bin play down di significance of dat attack, im tok say Iran missile and drone strike bin show "di strong determination of our nation".

On Sunday, during di inauguration of one dam for north-western Iran, Raisi emphasised Iran support for di Palestinians, wia e declare say "Palestine na di first issue of di Muslim world".

Im bin dey return from di visit wit Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and plenti oda senior figures wen dia helicopter experienced a "hard landing" for remote and mountainous terrain, state media report.

Di weather wey bin no clear and heavy rain delay search efforts, but on Monday authorities find di crash site and announce say Raisi and evribody else wey bin dey on board di helicopter die.

Pipo no know plenti tins about Raisi private life except say im wife, Jamileh, bin teach for Shahid Beheshti University for Tehran, and say dem get two adult daughters.

Im father-in-law na Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda, di hardline Friday prayer leader for Mashhad.