An Individual's Attempt to Self-Immolate in Front of Tehran City Council Fails

Media in Iran report that a man dressed in a shroud attempted to self-immolate in front of the Islamic City Council building in Tehran. This is the second instance of self-immolation in less than a month in front of municipal buildings in Tehran. On September 4, another individual had self-immolated in front of the Tehran Municipality and later died in the hospital due to severe injuries and burns. According to ILNA news agency, on Tuesday morning (October 2), a man approximately 35 years old, carrying a 20-liter can of gasoline, poured gasoline on himself and intended to set himself on fire with a lighter, but the intervention of the public and Tehran Municipality officials prevented this act. This individual, who is from the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, is currently in the custody of the municipal police. ILNA reported that his motive for the attempted self-immolation was a financial claim against the municipality. Meanwhile, IRNA news agency stated that the reason for this individual's act of self-immolation was 'not winning a parking lot tender.' According to a member of the Tehran Municipality's security, this individual was not a contractor for the municipality and his self-immolation attempt was more of a 'publicity stunt.' Based on the report, this individual's attempt was thwarted by the actions of the security and police forces of the council, and he is currently under the custody of security police. Young Journalists Club also introduced him as a 45-year-old man. For years in Iran, protesters have resorted to self-immolation to express their dissent or poverty. On September 4, a 45-year-old man set himself on fire in front of the Tehran Municipality building in front of his children and later died in the hospital. Some Iranian media reported that this individual was a shopkeeper who self-immolated in protest against a 500 million toman fine from the municipality. Reports indicated that 'he intended to burn his family and child as well, but they were saved by the intervention of the public.' In June of this year, labor sources in the Abadan Municipality reported the 'self-immolation' of one of the service workers in this organization due to 'livelihood issues.' Last year, Mohammad Javad Fatehi, head of the Burn Research Center at Iran University of Medical Sciences, noted that self-immolation is the 'most horrific type of burns' and reported an increase in 'self-immolation' in the country.