Iranian activist's tragic suicide highlights fight for freedom

On Wednesday evening, Sanjari posted on social media, stating that he would end his life if by 2 PM (Eastern Time), four Iranian political prisoners were not released: Fateme Sepehari, Nasrin Shakrami, Tomaj Salehi, and Arsham Rezei. In the post, he expressed hope that "one day Iranians will wake up and overcome slavery." He also emphasized that "no one should be imprisoned for expressing their opinion" and that "protesting is the right of every Iranian."

Shortly after the specified time, other activists confirmed Sanjari's death, as reported by the Polish Press Agency, citing the BBC. The prisoners whose release the activist demanded had been detained during mass protests triggered by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini. The woman died in 2022 after being detained by the so-called morality police.

Kianoosh Sanjari had previously been detained by Iranian authorities for political activities – in 1999 and 2007. After his release in 2007, he emigrated from Iran and was granted asylum in Norway. He later joined the Persian section of Voice of America radio in Washington.

In 2016, he returned to his homeland to be close to his parents. Shortly after his return, he was arrested and sentenced to 11 years in the notorious Evin prison. In 2019, for medical reasons, he was released on bail and placed in a psychiatric hospital. In conversations with independent media, Sanjari claimed that he was electrocuted in the hospital, tied to a bed, and given unknown substances.

After his death, freedom of speech activist Hoseyn Ronaghi bid him farewell on the X platform, writing: "Kianoosh Sanjari is not just a name; he is a symbol of many years of pain, resistance, and the struggle for freedom."