Thousands of Iranians came out on the streets to mark the funeral processions of Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran, Mashhad, and Tabriz, after he died in a helicopter crash alongside the foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian. During these processions, huge banners were put up naming Raisi as “the martyr of service”, while other banners carried phrases such as “farewell to the servant of the disadvantaged”.
The status of martyr of service means his death was caused by his duty to serve the public as president.
In Iran, the martyr narrative is a long-recognised concept in religious tales, politics and literature.
