Protester killed in Iran days before Amini anniversary

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian security forces in Alborz province on Wednesday fatally shot a young Kurdish man who had called for anti-government protests days earlier, reported a human rights watchdog, as the Iranian regime continues to take measures to prevent renewed protests with the anniversary of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini death approaching.

Hamed Bagheri, from Kermanshah province, died after being shot four times by the regime forces for chanting anti-government slogans on the streets of Karaj, according to Hengaw Human Rights Organization.

The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan online described Bagheri as a “machete-wielding” attacker who had threatened citizens passing by and had wounded two police officers when they tried to detain him. The judiciary website claimed that the police officers were “forced” to shoot Bagheri because he continued to attack them.

Hengaw said that Bagheri’s family had travelled to Karaj immediately after hearing the news of his death, but the authorities had refused to let them see the body or hand it over.

22-year-old Kurdish woman Amini died while in police custody on September 16, 2022 after being arrested for allegedly wearing a lax hijab. Her death sparked Iran’s longest protest movement in the past four decades, initially calling for greater freedoms for women before turning into a full-blown anti-government revolution.

The protesters were met with a violent crackdown from Iranian security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its paramilitary Basij, resulting in over 500 killed and thousands injured.

With the first anniversary of Amini’s death approaching, the Iranian regime has recently begun taking a series of measures to curb the possibility of renewed demonstration, including through arresting activists and relatives of the killed protesters, setting up checkpoints, and deploying security forces across the provinces.

In a televised interview on Tuesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned against protesting on the anniversary of Amini’s death. 

“Those who intend to abuse Mahsa Amini’s name under this pretext, to be an agent of foreigners, to create this instability in the country, we know what will happen to them,” he said.