In a heartbreaking final act of protest, Iranian activist Kianoosh Sanjari took his own life in Tehran on Wednesday after authorities ignored his desperate call to release four political prisoners.
Just a day earlier, Sanjari had posted what would be his last message to his million followers: "My life will end after this tweet but let us not forget that we die and die for the love of life, not death." He gave officials until Wednesday evening to free four activists locked up during the 2022 protests - but his plea fell on deaf ears.
The 42-year-old spent years fighting for democracy in Iran, facing jail time himself between 1999 and 2007. He managed to escape to Norway in 2007 and worked with human rights groups and Voice of America, but eventually returned home in 2016 to be with his parents. Back in Iran, he ended up in the notorious Evin Prison for 11 years before getting out on medical grounds in 2019.
The prisoners he died trying to help - Fatemeh Sepehri, Nasrin Shakarami, Toomaj Salehi, and Arsham Rezaei - were all locked up during the massive protests that erupted after Mahsa Amini's death in custody. Amini, just 22, died after being arrested by morality police for "improper" hijab wear.
Fellow activist Hossein Ronaghi summed up what Sanjari meant to so many: "Kianoosh Sanjari is not just a name, it's a symbol of years of pain, resistance and struggle for freedom."
The National News contributed to this article.
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