Goodbye Iran: Protester takes own life during armed standoff

Shafaq News/ An Iranian who had participated in the 2022 protests took his own life during an armed clash with security forces in the city of Izeh, in southwestern Khuzestan.

A video live-streamed on Instagram showed Abol Korkor firing from inside a house and shouting expletives at the Iranian government before turning the gun on himself. “There is no escape... Goodbye, Iran,” he said before pulling the trigger. During the standoff, a member of the armed group was heard shouting that they wanted to surrender, but the fate of three others remains unknown.

Iranian state media described the group as “armed criminal elements,” while Mizan News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s judiciary, said Korkor was a leader of the 2022 protests in Izeh and had been wanted since then.

According to the semi-official Mehr News Agency, some members of the group were arrested, with reports suggesting they may have been wounded in the confrontation.

Izeh was among the cities that witnessed intense demonstrations during the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, which erupted following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody.

On November 25, 2022, seven people, including three children, were killed in a shooting at Izeh’s market. Families of the victims blamed security forces, an allegation Iranian authorities deny.

Amnesty International has recently warned that 10 detainees linked to the 2022 protests, including Mojtaba (Abbas) Korkor, a resident of Izeh, are at risk of execution. His death sentence was reinstated despite being overturned previously.