The special forces of the Iranian police reportedly shot and killed a Kurdish civilian named Yasser Mohammadi in Kermanshah on 23 October.
Special forces said they opened fire on Mohammadi’s vehicle as he was “suspicious” and “ignored their warning”. The civilian’s family have denied these claims.
Speaking on how the civilian was killed, one of his relatives spoke to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) and said: “At 8 pm on 23 October, Yasser Mohammadi was driving a Peugeot Pars [model passenger car] on his way home from Kasra Street to Azadegan Square [in Kermanshah], where he was being chased by a Special Forces patrol car. Yasser does not realise the officers’ warning due to wearing earphones while driving. One of the officers fires a bullet at the car near the Karbala road terminal station (southwest of Kermanshah) without prior warning and shooting in the air. The bullet hits and kills Yasser.”
According to the source, the special forces claimed to have fired three shots in the air before targeting Mohammadi, but witnesses and bystanders denied the allegations, saying only one bullet had been fired.
“No evidence on the forces shooting in the air has been provided so far. Why should the bullets that these forces claim to have fired at the car for warning hit the young man’s heart directly from behind?”
According to Mohammadi’s death certificate, which was provided to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), the young man lost his life due to “being hit by hard and sharp objects”.
The complaint and follow-up of the victim’s family and their frequent appeals to the military court over the past 40 days have yielded no results.
Mohammadi, 29, was born in Dalahu in Kermanshah. He had a bachelor’s degree and worked part-time in a pharmacy.
Last week, his family celebrated his 29th birthday at his grave.
