A woman In Iranian Kurdistan stands on a car and salutes the crowd gathering for the 40th day ceremony for Mahsa Amini, who died in Iranian police custody on September 16
UPDATES: Iran Protests Mark Their 50th Day
As protests across Iran continue for an eighth week, so do the killings by security forces and mourning for the victims.
On October 8, Yahya Rahimi, 31, honked his horn in support of demonstrations in Sanandaj, the capital of the Kurdistan provice in northwest Iran.
That beep cost him his life. Two men with large sticks attacked his car, shattering the windscreen. As Rahimi drove off, he was hit in the head with a bullet. He died leaning against the smashed driver’s window.
The Norway-based Kurdish rights group Hengaw has posted video of the incident.
اختصاصی ههنگاو
تیم حقوقی ههنگاو در نتیجه تحقیقات و دریافت تصویری دیگر از زمان بروز حادثه توانسته هویت شخص کشته شده در داخل خودرو پراید در اثر شلیک مستقیم نیروهای امنیتی را احراز کند. برای اطلاعات بیشتر گزارش تحقیقی ههنگاو را بخوانید. #مهسا_امینی pic.twitter.com/PNw4azagwe
— Hengaw Human Rights Organization (@HengawO) October 9, 2022
The head of Kurdistan’s police force claimed Rahimi was shot by “anti-revolutionary forces.” Rahimi’s family don’t accept the explanation — his father Ahmad says, “Islamic Republic agents had damaged his car, yet they didn’t leave him alone. A few steps further, they martyred him.”
Ahmad Rahimi said authorities pressed him to falsely declare that his son was a Basij militiaman, hoping to attribute the killing to protesters. If Ahmad complied, Yahya would be registered as a martyr and benefits would be paid.
Ahmad replied, “I don’t want such a thing.” When police officers offered condolences, he asked them, “What crime did my son commit on that street? He was innocent. Why did you kill him?”
The Human Rights Activists News Agency says 318 protesters, including 49 juveniles, have been killed. Norway-based Iran Human Rights says 60 of the victims were in the northwest provinces of Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and West Azerbaijan.
Kurdistan has been a center of the protests, fueled by the death of Mahsa Amini — a native and resident of Saqqez in the province — after she was detained and reportedly beaten by morality police.
Protests continue in several cities and universities….
The army chief joins the ranks of regime thugs calling people “flies”….
Family of Mahsa Amini demand to see and review her file
https://www.radiofarda.com/a/32042577.html
The Economist believes Iran is in the throes of a revolution: https://www.economist.com/films/2022/11/08/is-iran-on-the-edge-of-a-revolution
Nicolas Pelham, its ME correspondent, asserts that the protests are the biggest since 1979 (ignores what happened in 2009 completely).
It comes after three similar articles, also published in the Economist, were predicting the collapse of the Islamic Republic:
Could Iran’s regime fall? https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/10/27/could-irans-regime-fall
Iran’s ruling ayatollahs are hanging on: https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/09/29/irans-ruling-ayatollahs-are-hanging-on
Will Iran’s women win? https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/10/26/will-irans-women-win
US drones attack Iranian fuel deliveries to Lebanon: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/478498/Air-attack-on-Iranian-fuel-tankers-near-Iraq-Syria-border-reports
Protesting Rapper’s Video Foretelling Iranian Regime’s Future Leads To Arrest As Fans Fear For His Life
https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-rapper-salehi-arrested-omen-video/32121126.html
“That beep cost him his life. Two men with large sticks attacked his car, shattering the windscreen. As Rahimi drove off, he was hit in the head with a bullet. He died leaning against the smashed driver’s window.”
There is no evidence from this video that he was shot by the security forces.
Just to clarify: the men with the sticks do look like Baseejis but the shot appears to come from a passing car.