People attending a memorial service for a prominent human rights lawyer in Iran's holy city of Mashhad on Friday chanted slogans against the ruling theocracy and in favor of the pre-1979 monarchy, according to videos posted online.
"Death to the Dictator," some of the people mourning Khosrow Alikordi's death chanted in an apparent reference to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The raucous gathering constituted one of the more prominent expressions of public discontent with the Islamic Republic in recent years. It was not immediately clear how large the crowd was.
Nobel Prize Laureate Narges Mohammedi appeared to be heckled off a stage by some of the pro-monarchy attendees, before she and other activists in attendance were arrested by security forces.
Mourners chanted "Long Live the King" and "The King will come back home" in support of Iranian exiled prince Reza Pahlavi, who is based in the United States.
"Death to the three corrupt forces: the mullah, the leftist and the Mujahid (exiled opposition group MEK)" was also chanted in the ceremony, referencing the groups that Pahlavi supporters blame for the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Several people also chanted slogans in memory of the exiled prince's grandfather, Reza Shah, who reigned from 1925 to 1941.
Alikordi was found dead in unclear circumstances in his office in Mashhad last week, with fellow lawyers and activists questioning the official account of cardiac arrest and alleging that he may have been killed by security forces.
Nobel peace prize winner Mohammadi appeared unable to placate the crowd despite invoking the memory of Majid-Reza Rahnavard, a monarchy-supporter whom authorities hanged in December 2022.
Mohammadi's arrest along with several other activists attending the ceremony was confirmed by Mashhad's governor in remarks to state media.
A 2024 survey conducted by a Netherlands-based institute found that the majority of Iranians would vote for either a regime change or a structural transition away from the Islamic Republic, highlighting demands for political change across Iran.
However, the survey by the Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) found no consensus on what system should emerge in its place.
A secular republic was backed by 26 percent of respondents, while 21 percent supported a monarchy. Another 22 percent said they lacked enough information to decide.
Rights groups say Iran remains one of the world’s most restrictive environments for free expression, with activists frequently detained, prosecuted and imprisoned.
