According to Finnish Iranians, many have been happy about the president’s death. In particular, the choice of a successor raises questions.
Ville Lappalainen,
Katri Tihilä,
Lassi Lähteenmäki
19:18•Updated 19:48
The reactions of the Iranians in Finland, the president Ebrahim Raisin to the death news have ranged from joy to confusion.
Raisi died in a helicopter crash on Sunday evening. Iran’s foreign minister also died in the accident Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Finnish and Iranian citizen living in Espoo Azzar Sarikhani rejoices in the president’s death.
According to him, many people have a lot of hatred towards the government.
For example, in 2022, President Raisi had a very harsh attitude towards the Iranian protests. Protesters have been arrested and executed in Iran. In addition, in 2019, the US administration convicted Rais of torturing thousands of prisoners in the 1980s.
Sarikhani says that several of her friends were happy with the news, and they are thinking about offering glasses to the whole town.
– Let’s go, open champagne and serve it to everyone!
Sarikhani says that the day was also a confusing roller coaster of emotions, because now you don’t know what will happen next.
– Probably another terrorist or bad person will replace him. Probably nothing will change, Sarikhani says.
from Vantaa Eva Tawasoli is originally Afghan, but he was born and raised in Iran. Tawasoli also works as a city councilor for the Greens in Vantaa.
After hearing the news, he has been thinking about, for example, how the state leadership will organize the next elections, because the previous elections were not honest in his opinion.
– Some of the citizens felt that the previous elections were not carried out by the will of the people, but that the elite in Iran had already decided that Rais would become president.
He has actively followed how the media and citizens of Iran and other countries have reacted.
– Especially on social media, Farsi-speaking users have been happy. Raisi was by no means a popular president in Iran.
A Kurdish activist from Helsinki Welat Nehri says that now I am mourning among the supporters, but there is even celebration among the people.
– The nation is divided. It is about one Iranian dictator who has ruled the country with a heavy hand.
According to him, the choice of a successor can also cause discord among citizens.
According to Nehri, getting to the presidency is strictly dictated in Iran, and not just anyone can get to that position.
– I don’t think that a president would come to power who would be on completely different lines than previous presidents have been.