On 24 April, two Yarsan’s brothers immolated themselves by fire and both have lost their lives due to severe injuries.
A source close to Fozoni’s family reports Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that on 24 April Mahdi, the younger brother who was unemployed and recently suffering from severe depression went to Sarab Qamar (in Kermanshah Province, Iran) immolated himself by the fire. He left a letter before committing suicide. Mahdi addressed to his family that he cannot tolerate another minute of feeling this way and he is exhausted and the only way for him is suicide to get rid of his excruciating life.
Mehdi Fozoni
According to the source, Mahdi transferred to a hospital in Kermanshah, but doctors told his family that there is no possibility for survival because of severe burning. Ehsan, his older brother, who worked on a farm in Hamadan received a phone call from his family, informing him about the suicide of his younger brother. He moved towards Kermanshah immediately. But the moment that his family was waiting for Ehsan coming back home, they received a phone call from Bisotun Police, informing them his older son also committed a suicide and died in SanqarAbad in Bisotun.
The Source continued that the exact cause of Ehsan’s self-immolation is unknown to his family and police said that his corpse was found completely burned. Ehsan, was religious, and he had a very simple and austere life. He always participated in the religious ceremonies of Yarsan. The young brother died in hospital a day after the police found the dead corpse of Ehsan. Both brothers funerals were held in the village of Sarveno in Kermanshah with wide participation of Yarsani people.
Siawash Hayati, spokesman of the Consultative Assembly, Civil society activists of Yarsan told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that the self-immolation of these two brother wasn’t a political protest. But the Yarsan’s community is under discrimination and injustice and a large number of young people having social and economic problems that could cause this type of action more in comparison with others.
The Yarsani civil society activist said Kermanshah Province with thirty percent has the highest
Ehsan Fozoni
unemployment rate right now. But this data is by official statistics and the real data could be much higher. Rising unemployment may increase the risk of social disorders such as drug addiction, corruption, mental health problems for people.
However, we should consider these issues in the context. Considering that the Yarsan in Kermanshah addition to the general problems in the whole society of Iran, are under discrimination because of being Kurd and Yarsan and they suffer more. In such circumstances certainly a bright future for people are less, therefore threats are more.
In his point of view, the main factor is social injustice that resulted suffers for Yarsan in a different way. He “condemned this policy and emphasised that the people must live and fight with problems and resist against the difficulties to bring a change.
