October 8th of 2023; Anniversary of the Governmental Assassination of Four Revolutionaries in the Uprising of Women, Life, Freedom in Sanandaj

On the 22nd day of the Women, Life, Freedom revolutionary uprising, on October 8th, 2022, following the assassination of governmental agents Jina-Mahsa Amini and the beginning of the Women, Life, Freedom revolutionary uprising, four citizens of Sanandaj lost their lives due to the bullets fired by suppressive-governmental forces during widespread public protests. Peyman Menbari (25), Daryoush Alizadeh, Yahya Rahimi, and Mohammad Amini were among those killed by the Islamic Republic's government.

On that day, protests had spread widely across Kurdistan and Iran after the assassination of Jina-Mahsa Amini. The Islamic Republic began suppressing the protests from the very first days by firing bullets. From September 19th to October 8th, 2022, it had committed governmental assassinations of 31 people in Kurdistan ⁹.

Today, on October 8th, 2022, on the anniversary of the governmental assassination of these four deceased citizens of Sanandaj, Kurdpa will report on how they were killed.

Sanandaj/ governmental assassination of 25-year-old Peyman Menbari:

On October 8th of 2022, Peyman Menbari, a 25-year-old resident of Sanandaj, died of a shot in the heart from behind by suppressive governmental forces using a Colt revolver during city-wide protests on Vakil Street. The death certificate cites "impact of hard or sharp objects" as the cause of death.

Menbari's body was buried in Muhammadiyeh Cemetery in Sanandaj at 2 AM on October 17th, in the presence of just family members and under tight governmental security.

In December 2022, Menbari's family was pressured by government and judicial authorities to not file a complaint in court. His mother rejected the request of the Sanandaj Revolutionary Court and declared that "the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for my son's murder".

On November 2nd, 2022, Menbari's mother posted a video stating that "the Islamic Republic must answer why her son's blood was shed".

November 12th, 2022, a video showing Menbari's family chanting slogans at his grave &&&&&

Peyman Menbari, son of Ayub and Sahebe, was a 25-year-old resident of Niyar village near Sanandaj. He worked as a steel fence instructor.

In his last Instagram story, he wrote: "This could be the best Saturday in history. We protest, we strike, we destroy everything they have built. We create chaos. If someone wants to stand in our way, we fight them. We get injured, we get killed. We turn the streets of our city into hell until we achieve complete freedom for ourselves, our families and our city".

A Video of putting flowers on the place where Peyman Menbari was killed, on the anniversary of his assassination by the government

Sanandaj/ governmental assassination of 33-year Daryoush Alizade:

Daryoush Alizadeh, a 33-year-old resident of Sanandaj, was shot in the thigh by suppressive governmental forces using a military bullet during city-wide protests in the Tappeh Baharmast district on October 8th, 2022. Due to severe bleeding and being followed and beaten by suppressive forces, he lost his life. Doctors said he was taken to hospital too late. In the hospital, the family was told to take Daryoush’s body from the hospital as soon as possible; otherwise, the body would not be easily given to them. Finally, Daryoush’s body was transferred by his family to his birthplace, Qaleh Kohneh village. Security forces had repeatedly threatened the family to return the body. However, the family rejected this request. After a medical examination by the legal medical team of Bijar County at 11 p.m., Daryoush Alizadeh was buried.

Two days after the funeral, Sanandaj’s governor went to Qaleh Kohneh village to participate in the funeral ceremony but they were not allowed to attend. The family also held a funeral ceremony at Sanandaj’s Al-Nabi Mosque. However, due to tearing up funeral announcements and warning the mosque by security forces, the funeral ceremony was moved to the home.

The Alizadeh family has been pressured by Sanandaj’s intelligence agency several times to attribute their son’s murder to Kurdish parties.

On August 21st, 2023, Daryoush Alizadeh’s father said in a video posted on social media: “The IRGC has brought them gifts. He replied: ‘Your thousands of gifts will not bring my son back. Will your gift return to my son?’ He then says three times: ‘I am a plaintiff for my son’s blood’.

Daryoush Alizadeh was born on July 12, 1989.

Sanandaj/ governmental assassination of Mohammad Amini:

On the 16th of October 2022, Mohammad Amini, 33 years old, was shot in the back of the head by a Kalashnikov weapon by security forces during the protests and died instantly.

After the governmental assassination of Mohammad Amini, his body was buried under strict security and with the presence of a few family members in the village of Younesabad in Sanandaj under pressure from security authorities. During the entire funeral ceremony, security forces filmed mourners who came to offer condolences to the Amini family at their residence on Zagros 16 located on Takteghan Hill using helicopters to threaten them.

On June 7th, 2022, Mohammad Amini's mother said in a video posted on social media: "Mohammad was shot and killed with a Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle bullet from behind in our own alley. Despite filing a complaint with the military court, we have not received any response. They have also contacted us several times from the governor's office to give money for our children's blood. But I will not sell my son's blood for money and I will not agree to anything other than the trial of the murderers and perpetrators of this crime".

On July 15th, 2022, Hassan Amini, Mohammad Amini's brother, was sentenced to six and a half months in prison and forty lashes on charges of "disrupting public order" by Branch 101 of Boukan Criminal Court. At the end of the funeral ceremony at Aichi Cemetery and Boukan Cemetery with the families of Sanandaj's deceased victims on June 19th, 2022, he was arrested at the entrance to Saqqez by security forces.

Mohammad Amini was a resident of Takteghan district in Sanandaj and was probably 33 years old. He was originally from Vinsava village (Younesabad) in Sanandaj.

 Sanandaj/ governmental assassination of Yahya Rahimi, 32:

On October 8th, 2022, Yahya Rahimi, a 32-year-old resident of Sanandaj, was shot in the head by a government suppressive force from close range with a 12mm shotgun while protesting in the city. He was on his way to work and honked his car horn when he was shot. On the death certificate of Yahya Rahimi, the cause of his death is stated as "collision with hard or sharp objects" ¹.

The body of Yahya Rahimi and his car were transferred to a security agency by intelligence forces, and they washed and shrouded Yahya's body without informing his family. Yahya's brothers became aware of their brother's murder by publishing a video of the moment he was killed in the car. Then Yahya's brothers went to all the police stations, intelligence agencies, and hospitals in this city and even the Sanandaj morgue to find his body, but they received no response. One of the brothers also went to the village where Yahya's father and mother live. After approaching Yahya's father's house in Sanandaj and the crowd of people in front of their door, they find out that their son had died and, after that, Yahya's mother fainted.

Security agencies then delivered Yahya Rahimi's body to his family after obtaining a written commitment and preventing him from being buried in his birthplace village. They forced the family to bury him at 2:00 a.m. at Behesht-e-Mohammadi cemetery in Sanandaj. The funeral ceremony of Yahya Rahimi was held in the presence of many suppressive forces. 

author: Awin Mostafazade