Charlie Hebdo Features Ebrahim Raisi in Satirical Cartoons

Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical weekly magazine, has published several cartoons featuring Ebrahim Raisi. 

The deaths of Raisi, Hossein Amir-Abdullahian—who was the foreign minister—and other Iranian officials occurred at a particularly tense moment for the Middle East.

We've got more under our belts ! Here are some of our drawings from this week's issue translated into English.

1/3 pic.twitter.com/DDYfvyscqA

— Charlie Hebdo (@Charlie_Hebdo_) May 23, 2024

The region is grappling with the consequences of an escalating war that has galvanized Iran-backed militant groups to exchange fire with the Israeli military. These conflicts have sent ripple effects across the globe.

The helicopter crash on Sunday, which claimed the lives of President Ebrahim Raisi and others, prompted judicial and security authorities, along with the police, to issue warnings that citizens' reactions to the incident were under close scrutiny.

Raïssi's last words : "Hail Mary, full of grace"
By Salch
3/3 pic.twitter.com/3II2UUmHcU

— Charlie Hebdo (@Charlie_Hebdo_) May 23, 2024

IranWire has learned from media activists and journalists in Iran that security agencies have been disrupting their lives with threatening calls to prevent the republishing of news related to Ebrahim Raisi's death.

Charlie Hebdo cover on Raisi helicopter crash: "God Exists" pic.twitter.com/VkvWG1zs91

— FJ (@Natsecjeff) May 21, 2024

One journalist, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told IranWire, "When I didn't answer their calls, they contacted my uncle and brother, threatening that an arrest warrant had been issued for me and that if I did not delete my stories and posts, they would come to arrest me."