Kurdish Citizen Ali Asloob Killed by Ministry of Intelligence Gunfire; His Body Still Not Handed Over to Family
Ali Asloob, a 35-year-old Kurdish citizen from Piranshahr, was shot and killed by Ministry of Intelligence forces near Jaldian village on the evening of September 17. Human rights sources say he was hit by multiple bullets while riding a motorcycle, and after his death, his body was transferred by security forces and withheld from his family. The Ministry of Intelligence, without disclosing his name, claimed the killed individual was a member of a Kurdish opposition party—a claim that has not been independently verified.
Ali Asloob, a 35-year-old Kurdish citizen from Piranshahr, was shot and killed by Ministry of Intelligence forces near Jaldian village on the evening of September 17. Human rights sources say he was hit by multiple bullets while riding a motorcycle, and after his death, his body was transferred by security forces and withheld from his family. The Ministry of Intelligence, without disclosing his name, claimed the killed individual was a member of a Kurdish opposition party—a claim that has not been independently verified.
According to reports from several human rights organizations, Ali Asloob, 35, from the village of Kilesipan in Piranshahr, was targeted by Ministry of Intelligence forces on Thursday evening, September 26, 1405 (Iranian calendar), while traveling on a motorcycle on a road near Jaldian village.
Sources close to his family say security forces had set up an ambush on the route and fired at him with weapons including Dushka machine guns and Kalashnikovs. Asloob was struck by multiple bullets at the scene and died, after which security forces took his body with them. These details were also reported by Hengaw, Kurdistan Human Rights Network, Kurdpa, and Iranwire.
Despite several days having passed, Asloob’s family has still been unable to retrieve his body.
According to Hengaw and Kurdistan Human Rights Network, Ali Asloob’s family contacted the judiciary and Piranshahr’s Ministry of Intelligence office after learning of his death. According to informed sources, the Piranshahr prosecutor confirmed his killing and stated that Asloob’s body remains in the custody of the Intelligence Department and will not be handed over to the family.
Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported that Asloob’s body has been transferred to Urmia. However, no clear official explanation has been issued regarding the legal basis for continued custody of the body or the expected time for its return to the family.
For a family that has suddenly lost a member, being deprived of the body and the opportunity to hold a funeral ceremony multiplies the pain of loss many times over.
Three days after Asloob’s killing, Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence issued a statement without naming him, announcing that an individual had been killed during an operation by the ministry’s forces in Piranshahr.
This security agency identified the killed individual as an operational member of one of the Kurdish opposition parties. State media also released images of the killed person’s body. However, independent sources have been unable to independently verify details of these claims, including the nature of the killed individual’s activities or the exact circumstances of the confrontation.
Therefore, there is no independent information available regarding whether Asloob was armed, whether there was an immediate threat to the lives of security forces, or exactly what happened at the scene.
The main issue in such cases is not merely the identity or accusations against the killed individual, but rather how government forces used lethal force and whether it was necessary.
The UN Human Rights Committee, in General Comment No. 36 on Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has emphasized that the use of potentially lethal force by law enforcement should only occur under circumstances where it is absolutely necessary to protect life or prevent serious injury from an imminent threat. Furthermore, such incidents must be subject to effective and independent investigation.
In the case of Ali Asloob, based on released information, no independent explanation has yet been provided regarding the necessity of using lethal weapons, the circumstances of the shooting, or the process of investigating the officers’ conduct.
Even after death, families retain human rights. Preventing a family’s access to a deceased person’s body without providing a clear explanation of the legal basis and necessity for doing so can inflict severe psychological pressure on the bereaved.
In Asloob’s case, the issue is not merely a fatal shooting; his family now faces the loss of their loved one while simultaneously being kept in the dark and denied his body.
This situation makes it all the more necessary to clarify where his body is being held, why this situation continues, and when it will be returned to his family.
Ali Asloob’s killing has been reported at a time when recent weeks have seen numerous reports of arrests, summons, and security pressure on Kurdish citizens. In such an environment, the absence of transparent information about security operations, the identity and status of killed individuals, and the fate of their bodies makes independent investigation of events difficult.
Maintaining security cannot mean disregarding the right to life, the necessity of proportionate use of lethal force, and families’ right to know the truth about the fate of their loved ones.
From the perspective of human rights and also from a Christian perspective, human life has dignity, and the government cannot simply dismiss the necessity to preserve human life and be accountable for a person’s death merely by attributing a security allegation to them.
Ali Asloob’s case now more than ever needs a clear answer: What happened on that road? Why was he shot at? And why has his body still not been returned to his family?
