Exclusive | Kamal Pishvand, a Victim of Protests: The Shooter Was 15 Meters Away from Me

Kamal Pishvand, a 41-year-old citizen from Mahabad, in an exclusive interview with Manoochehr Pordel from the Persian section of Voice of America, stated that the shooter was 15 meters away when he shot directly at his eye. Mr. Pishvand mentioned that this incident occurred on the evening of October 12, 2022, during protests in Mahabad, and he still remembers the shooter's face. This citizen from West Azerbaijan province, who was shot in the left eye and the eyebrow of his right eye, said that after the incident, protesters present at the scene took him into an alley and said, 'His eye is badly damaged.' Kamal Pishvand added that his relatives wanted to take him to the hospital, but the Mahabad hospital told them that if he was brought there, he would be arrested. He further stated that his relatives received a similar response after contacting Farabi Hospital in Tehran, and for this reason, he was taken to Nikookari Hospital in Tabriz, where his eye underwent surgery. Doctors in Tabriz informed him that he had lost the cornea of his eye, his retina was torn, and his left eye had become blind. Mr. Pishvand said he has undergone surgery on his left eye twice and had an infection drained once. He added that his son, Artin, was also arrested on November 12 and spent 10 days in detention. According to him, Artin, who was released on bail, had been subjected to severe physical torture and now has a blood clot in the back of his head. This blinded protester spoke about the reason for leaving Iran, stating that he was summoned to the Mahabad Intelligence Office 10 days after the incident and was coerced into signing a commitment. Mr. Pishvand added that in the last days of his stay in Iran, security agencies contacted him to take his and Artin's bail and go to court with him. This citizen from West Azerbaijan province urged the people of Iran to continue their 'revolution' and not allow the rights of at least '1,500 people' who have become blind during the protests to be trampled.