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Iranian Activist Kianoosh Sanjari Dies by Suicide After Demanding Release of Imprisoned Activists
Iranian activist Kianoosh Sanjari’s tragic death underscores the extreme pressure faced by dissidents. His final message: 'We die for the love of life, not death.
ND
by News Desk
2024-11-14
Iranian Activist Kianoosh Sanjari Dies by Suicide After Demanding Release of Imprisoned Activists

Kianoosh Sanjari, a prominent critic of Iran’s clerical regime, has died by suicide after demanding the release of four imprisoned activists in a message posted on X (formerly Twitter). Sanjari called for the freedom of activists Fatemeh Sepehri, Nasreen Shakarami, Tomaj Salehi, and Arsham Rezaei, threatening to take his life if they were not released by 7:00 pm Wednesday. Hours later, rights organizations confirmed his death, marking a tragic turn in Iran’s ongoing human rights crisis.
In his final message, Sanjari declared, “No one should be imprisoned for expressing their opinions. Protest is the right of every Iranian citizen.” His plea included a haunting sentiment: “My life will end after this tweet, but let’s not forget that we die and die for the love of life, not death.”
Figures across Iran’s opposition spectrum expressed grief, blaming the country’s repressive environment for Sanjari’s death. Activist Arash Sadeghi emphasized that the tragedy serves as a “warning of the heavy price of silence and indifference.” Labour activist Atena Daemi further accused the Iranian government of driving Sanjari to despair, saying that it “killed him bit by bit.”
Sanjari’s death follows the brutal crackdown on protests that erupted in 2022-2023, which left hundreds dead and many more detained. The detained individuals Sanjari sought to free, including Nasreen Shakarami, the mother of a teenager killed during those protests, symbolize the fight for justice and human rights in Iran. The opposition accuses the government of silencing dissent through harassment, imprisonment, and intimidation.
Exiled Iranian figures, including Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of the former shah, and British-Iranian actor Nazanin Boniadi, shared tributes to Sanjari, denouncing the harsh conditions facing activists in Iran. Pahlavi noted, “Our fight is for life against the regime of death and execution.”
Iranian officials have yet to issue a statement regarding Sanjari’s death.
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