Arsham Rezaei from Prison: How Many More Must End Their Lives for Us to Wake Up?

Arsham Rezaei, a political prisoner for whom Kianoush Sanjari called for freedom, reacted to his death by saying, "How many more of us must end our lives for us to wake up?" Kianoush Sanjari, a journalist and former political prisoner, committed suicide on Wednesday, November 23, 1403, in protest against the conditions of political prisoners in the Islamic Republic. He had announced a day earlier that if the Islamic Republic did not release four political prisoners, including Fatemeh Sepahri, Nasrin Shakeri, Tomaj Salehi, and Arsham Rezaei, within the next 24 hours, he would end his life in protest against "the dictatorship of Ali Khamenei and his associates." In a message related to this, which was obtained by VOA, Arsham Rezaei wrote, "Thirteen years, ten months, and twenty-five days ago, Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia set himself on fire, and it was with this tragic event that we witnessed protests in Tunisia and other Arab countries, known as the Arab Spring." This political prisoner, imprisoned in Qazalhasar prison, added, "Two days ago, another beloved child of this land, named Kianoush Sanjari, who had previously been a prisoner and political activist in the captivity of the Islamic Republic, ended his life voluntarily." He noted, "In Tunisia, the death of Mohamed Bouazizi led to a revolution, but in Iran, it was not so, and this clerical autumn continues. I do not know how many more must end their lives for our dormant consciences to awaken, so that we may also end this clerical tyranny and witness a spring in Iran." This civil activist further added in his message, "Today, on the fifth anniversary of the bloody Aban 98, coinciding with the burial of the immortal Kianoush Sanjari, I have a question for you, my compatriots: How many more of us must end our lives for us to wake up?" Arsham Rezaei concluded by addressing "those whose hands have been stained with the blood of our loved ones for 46 years," stating, "One day we will bring flowers for all these crimes, so you know the difference between us and you; we will place that flower on your gravestone." Exclusive | U.S. State Department: Sanjari's death is a sign of the despair of Iran's youth. Reactions to Kianoush Sanjari's death: An indictment against the Islamic Republic. Deep condolences from the head of VOA for the death of Kianoush Sanjari, a former colleague of the Persian section. Reactions to Kianoush Sanjari's protest suicide: His blood is on the Islamic Republic. Kianoush Sanjari "ended his life in protest against Khamenei's dictatorship."