Iran
18-year-old Momen Zand-Karimi was reportedly shot during protests in Sanandaj in western Iran (Rojhelat) on November 2, 2022. Photo: Hengaw Organization for Human Rights
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian authorities continue their violent crackdown on protests across the country as rights groups on Thursday reported the death of yet another teenager in the Kurdish city on Sanandaj.
Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported that 18-year-old Momen Zand-Karimi was shot during protests in Sanandaj in western Iran (Rojhelat) on Wednesday night, later succumbing to this injuries on the way to the hospital. “Due to pressure from Iranian security agencies, his body has been moved to Machke village for his burial,” the monitor stated.
In a video published by Hengaw, Obeid Zandkarimi, the father of Momen, confirms the death of his son and clarifies the circumstances surrounding it.
“Momen did not kill himself or have any underlying medical issues” Hengaw’s director Arsalan Yarahmedi told Rudaw English on Thursday, adding that “the security forces shot him at a distance of two meters then proceeded to severely beat him.”
Iranian authorities have repeatedly provided alternative explanations for the death of young protesters, typically claiming they committed suicide or were killed by protesters which they describe as ‘rioters.”
Sanandaj has been the epicenter of the Iranian security forces’ crackdown on the seven week-long protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa (Zhina) Amini while in police custody in mid-September.
At least 277 including 40 Children Killed according to the latest tally by the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights Organization (IHR) on Wednesday. Hengaw says at least 59 people have been killed and over 4,000 injured across the Kurdish areas.
Earlier this week, Kurdish rapper Saman Yassin, 27, was accused of “enmity against God & assembly & collusion with intention of committing crime against country's security" by an Iranian court, reported the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).
The rapper was he was seen posting several posts and stories in support of the nationwide uprising against the murder of Mahsa Amini.
By Zheen Saman
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