In a tragic protest against Iran’s government, prominent Iranian human rights activist Kianoosh Sanjari has taken his own life, citing the oppression of the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Sanjari, a vocal critic of Iran’s political regime and advocate for democracy, announced his intentions on social media hours before his death, giving the government a deadline to release four political prisoners.
Sanjari’s passing was confirmed by fellow activists, who shared his final messages and mourned his loss.
He declared that he would end his life if Fateme Sepehari, Nasreen Shakrami, Tomaj Salehi, and Arsham Rezaei—political prisoners detained after their support for the protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s 2022 death—were not freed by 19:00 local time (15:30 GMT) on Wednesday.
“Protest is the right of every Iranian citizen,” Sanjari wrote in his final social media post. He expressed hope that one day Iranians would “wake up and overcome slavery.”
The four individuals whose release Sanjari demanded have been prominent figures in Iran’s recent wave of dissent, fueled by the death of 22-year-old Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police.
Amini’s death catalyzed widespread protests against the strict controls imposed by Iran’s clerical rulers. The Iranian government responded with mass arrests, and many activists, including those named by Sanjari, were detained on charges related to their opposition to the regime.
Sanjari’s life has been marked by his opposition to Iran’s leadership, with repeated arrests between 1999 and 2007 due to his activism. He left Iran in 2007, eventually receiving asylum in Norway before joining the Voice of America’s Persian service in Washington, D.C.
In 2016, however, he returned to Iran to reunite with his parents, only to be arrested again and sentenced to 11 years in Evin Prison, notorious for its harsh conditions for political detainees.
Sanjari was released on bail in 2019 on medical grounds, subsequently being admitted to a psychiatric hospital where he alleged severe mistreatment, including forced electric shocks and injections while restrained.
In his final posts, Sanjari wrote about the hardships endured by Iranians under what he called Khamenei’s dictatorship, decrying the suppression of freedom of expression and the severe consequences faced by those who speak out.
His friend and fellow activist, Hossein Ronaghi, expressed profound grief, writing on social media platform X, “Kianoosh Sanjari is not just a name; it is a symbol of years of pain, resistance, and struggle for freedom.”
Sanjari’s death underscores the peril faced by dissidents and activists in Iran, where freedom of speech is tightly controlled and government critics face heavy penalties.
The conditions within Iran’s prison system, particularly for political prisoners, have come under international scrutiny for allegations of torture and abuse.
Evin Prison, where Sanjari was previously held, has been cited by human rights organizations as a site of grave human rights abuses.
Sanjari’s final act of protest has stirred strong reactions on social media, with supporters and activists worldwide calling attention to his plight and that of other Iranians who challenge the regime.
As the global community reacts, many hope that Sanjari’s death will shed light on the severity of repression in Iran and fuel renewed international advocacy for the rights of Iranian political prisoners and citizens.