Iranian anti-regime activist who died by suicide, buried in Tehran

Warning: This story contains descriptions of self-harm that some readers may find disturbing

Iranian activist Kianoosh Sanjari, who committed suicide this week in protest against the regime’s political imprisonment, was buried on Friday in the capital Tehran.

Sanjari took his own life on Wednesday at the age of 42 by jumping from a building in central Tehran, according to other activists and state media, after threatening to commit suicide if four activists detained by the Islamic Republic were not released.

“I will end my life in protest against the dictatorship of Khamenei and his partners,” Sanjari wrote on X earlier Wednesday, demanding the release of Fatemeh Sepehari, Nasreen Shakrami, Toomaj Salehi and Arsham Rezaei before 7 p.m. local time that day.

“No one should be jailed for expressing their opinion. Protest is the right of every Iranian citizen,” he wrote in a separate attachment after on Wednesday.

Around 7:20 PM local time, Sanjari posted a photo from the top of a tall structure, with the caption: “7 p.m., Hafez Bridge, Charsou.” Charsou Bazaar is a commercial building in the center of Tehran.

“My life will end after this tweet… I wish that one day the Iranians will wake up and overcome slavery.”

‘Kianoosh is lost’

Hossein Ronaghi, an Iranian human rights activist, confirmed Sanjari’s death on Thursday and urged people to attend his funeral on Friday.

“It is time to act… as Iranians we must attend his funeral with enthusiasm and respect, to honor this noble and martyred individual,” Ronaghi wrote on X.

The activist warned authorities against disrupting the funeral through increased security. “No one has the right to disrupt the funeral, create an atmosphere of safety or show any disrespect to this ceremony,” he wrote.

“I swear by Kianoosh’s blood: if any disturbance is caused by security forces or any obstacles are placed in front of people, I will make you regret it,” Ronaghi said.

Abdollah Momenianother Iranian activist, said that when he saw Sanjar’s post, he rushed to meet him, only to find “a white sheet” thrown over his body by the Hafez Bridge.

“Unfortunately, Kianoosh is lost,” Momeni wrote on X on Wednesday.

The state news agency reported this on Thursday ISNA reports this that a case had been opened by the public prosecutor’s office in Tehran regarding Sanjari’s suicide. ISNA, citing the Tehran prosecutor’s office, suggested that Sanjari had a history of mental health problems, for which they said he had been hospitalized and given prescription drugs.

Repeated arrests

An outspoken critic of the Iranian regime, Sanjari was arrested several times between 1999 and 2007, when he was eventually released on bail of more than $100,000, according to Amnesty International. He was accused of “acting against state security” and “propaganda against the system,” the human rights organization said. Sanjari spent time in Tehran’s infamous Evin prison, known for its long record of human rights abuses.

He left Iran shortly after his release, but returned in 2016, when he was arrested again and sentenced to 11 years in prison. the activist outlet of IranWire. In 2021, he left for the US but later returned to Iran, IranWire reported.

Between 2009 and 2013, Sanjari worked for the Persian service of the US government-funded broadcaster Voice of America in Washington, DC.

VOA’s Persian Service said Thursday it “expressed shock and sadness over the suicide of a former colleague, Kianoosh Sanjari, who jumped to his death from a building in Tehran on Wednesday in protest against Iran’s authoritarian rulers.”

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. If you live in the US and are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. TrevorLifeline, a suicide prevention counseling service for the LGBTQ community, can be reached at 866-488-7386. Befrienders Worldwide connects users to the nearest emotional support center for the part of the world they live in.

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