Mohammad Mokhtari ( fa, محمد مختاری) (September 10, 1989 – February 15, 2011) was an Iranian university student fatally wounded by a gunshot fired by the forces of the Islamic Regime on the February 14 2011 protests in Tehran. He died the next day, while hospitalized. Like Sane Jaleh, the regime tried to claim him as a Basiji, a member of the militia force of the regime always active in suppressing popular uprisings of the Iranian people. 'God, Let Me Die Standing': Remembering Mohammad Mokhtari
by DAN GEIST, Tehran Bureau, 17 Feb 2011

Early life

Mohammad reportedly "came from a large middle-class family, and loved sports". He was attending

Azad University The Islamic Azad University (IAU; fa, دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی, ''Dāneshgāh-e Āzād-e Eslāmi'') is a private university system headquartered in Tehran, Iran. It is one of the largest comprehensive systems of universities, colleg ...

Shahrood Shahrood ( fa, شاهرود, also Romanized as Shâhrūd, and Shahroud; also known as Shârūd) is a city and capital of Shahrood County, Semnan Province, Iran. Situated about an altitude of 1345 m, it is located at latitude 36°25'N, longitu ...

Killing and Subsequent Regime's Efforts to Hijack His Name

According to eyewitnesses, after Mr Mokhtari was shot, he briefly fell to the ground but got up and continued marching for a while as blood soaked his shirt. He died in the hospital the next day. On the eve of the first anniversary of his murder, his father did an interview, in which, he unveiled the efforts of the regime to brand Mohammad as a Basiji. During his funeral, they sent one of their agents to play the role of his mother for the camera and try to pretend Mohammad was a supporter of the regime. but later on, they found out about Mohammad's Facebook posts in which he invited his followers to rise against the regime. Three days before his death, Mr Mokhtari wrote on his Facebook wall, "God, give me death by standing for it's better than a life of sitting under oppression."

Aftermath

On February 20 "thousands took to the streets of Iran's largest cities to commemorate the deaths" of the two protesters. According to

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

, during a protest in the city of Shiraz at least one other student demonstrator was killed, Hamed Nour-Mohammadi.Iran: End Violence Against Protesters
Human Rights Watch, 3 March 2011 Nour-Mohammadi was "killed by security forces" while "trying to escape their attacks".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mokhtari, Mohammad 1989 births 2011 deaths 2011–2012 Iranian protests Deaths by firearm in Iran History of the Islamic Republic of Iran Iranian democracy activists Iranian dissidents Protest-related deaths

Early life

Killing and Subsequent Regime's Efforts to Hijack His Name

Aftermath

See also

References