Exclusive; Eyewitness Account of Violence by Officials at Kianoush Sanjari's Funeral

An eyewitness told the Persian section of Voice of America that plainclothes agents and government officials of the Islamic Republic used "physical violence" against participants in the funeral and burial ceremony of Kianoush Sanjari. According to him, the number of plainclothes agents and security officials was even greater than the participants in the ceremony, and even the elderly were subjected to "physical violence." This eyewitness told Voice of America that 360-degree cameras were installed around section 250 of Behesht Zahra since the previous night, and plainclothes agents were constantly filming the participants. He stated that he arrived at section 250 of Behesht Zahra around 9:30 AM, and officials had blocked the paths, making it impossible to enter the section by car. Regarding the timing of Kianoush Sanjari's burial, he said that around 10 AM, it was announced that the burial ceremony had concluded. However, he added that the possibility of Kianoush being buried in such a short time "does not make sense," and that some participants mentioned the possibility of his burial around 5 AM. Additionally, civil activists stated that the Islamic Republic is responsible for Kianoush Sanjari's death. The Persian section of Voice of America reported hours earlier that the funeral and burial ceremony of Kianoush Sanjari, a civil activist and former journalist for Voice of America, took place on Friday, November 25, in a security-heavy environment, with government officials preventing public attendance at his burial. According to images shared on social media, the funeral and burial of Kianoush Sanjari occurred earlier than scheduled. Various sources reported that the ceremony was held only with the presence of family and a limited number of his close relatives. It had previously been announced that the ceremony would take place at 10 AM on Friday, but due to pressure from security forces, it was conducted earlier than scheduled. In this context, the "Civil Protest Market" channel wrote that Kianoush Sanjari's body was buried at 9:30 AM in section 250 of Behesht Zahra, while the Islamic Republic's security forces had closed the section and did not allow people to enter. According to this report, internet disruptions were also reported in parts of Tehran, including Shahriar. Kambiz Norouzadeh, a civil and human rights activist in Iran, wrote on the social media platform "X": "The ceremony for Kianoush Sanjari was supposed to be held at 10 AM from the Mourning Hall to his burial site, but they buried him a few hours earlier. Were they afraid of the corpse?" Kianoush Sanjari, a journalist and former collaborator of Voice of America, a human rights activist, and former political prisoner, ended his life on Wednesday, November 23, 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 Fatemeh Sepahri, Nasrin Shakeri, Toumaj Salehi, and Arsham Rezai, four political prisoners, within 24 hours, he would end his life in protest against "the dictatorship of Ali Khamenei and his associates." A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department expressed condolences on Thursday, November 24, regarding Kianoush Sanjari's death and sympathized with his family. This spokesperson told Voice of America: "We are saddened by the death of Kianoush Sanjari, a former journalist for Voice of America, and we sympathize with his family." He added, "His death and other recent suicides of young people in Iran indicate the increasing despair of Iranian youth towards a regime that suppresses their most basic human rights." The U.S. State Department reiterated its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners detained without just cause in Iran.