Arian Khoshgovar, a 17-year-old student severely injured by Iranian special forces during the recent anti-government protests in Sanandaj, died on 15 March after four months of hospitalisation.
“On 17 November, Arian Khoshgovar was severely injured by special forces with batons and knives when he returned from his job in the Hajiabad neighbourhood of Sanandaj. The people in the neighbourhood took him to a house and informed his family, after which he was transferred to Kowsar Hospital in Sanandaj. The child, who was beaten with batons and stabbed in both hands, back and head, went into a coma after several hours due to severe bleeding”, a relative of the young man told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).
According to the source, Khoshgovar opened his eyes after a month but passed away on 15 March in the hospital.
The source said that after Khoshgovar’s death, security agents went to the hospital and took a written pledge from his family, saying that they were not allowed to speak to the media about their son or hold a ceremony.
The officers threatened the child’s father that the body would not be returned to the family if he did not sign the written pledge.
Arian Khoshgovar was born on 8 May 2005 and was a third-year student at Shahriar Namaki High School in Sanandaj.
In addition, Ziba Khoshgovar, a relative of Arian Khoshgovar, died after suffering a breathing problem due to tear gas fired by security forces during the November 2019 anti-government protests.
The family of the civilian at the time declared her cause of death as illness following threats from security agencies.
