Unconventional Ceremony Held for Martyred Mahdi Zareh-Ashkezari
The seventh-day commemoration ceremony for freedom martyr Mahdi Zareh-Ashkezari was held in an unconventional manner in the city of Yazd.
The seventh-day commemoration ceremony for freedom martyr Mahdi Zareh-Ashkezari was held in an unconventional manner in the city of Yazd.
31-year-old Mahdi Zareh-Ashkezari from Ashkezar, Yazd, was arrested during the protests and, following severe torture, was temporarily released. After his release, he fell into a coma and died in the hospital after 20 days. He was a former pharmacy student at the University of Bologna in Italy, and his death sparked extensive reactions in Italian media. While still alive, Mahdi Zareh-Ashkezari had his friends film footage of his tortured body, and he declared that he would send this video to the Italian ambassador in Iran.
Mahdi Zareh-Ashkezari’s body was buried on Saturday, December 31st, in Ashkezar Cemetery in Yazd, next to his mother’s grave.
Yazd is one of the most religious and conservative cities in Iran, yet the seventh-day ceremony of this devoted young man was held in an unconventional manner in this religious city. The people of Yazd who attended Mahdi Zareh’s seventh-day ceremony expressed their protest against his killing through chanting and applause. Instead of traditional mourning songs and weeping, the funeral ceremony was held with joy, and then a large photograph of him was sent into the sky along with numerous balloons as a symbol of freedom.
