Pressures on families of those killed in Aban increase; Father of Burhan Mansournia summoned to IRGC intelligence
A relative of Borhan Mansournia, who was shot dead in Kermanshah on Saturday, November 15, reported in an interview with the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that his father had been summoned to the IRGC intelligence service and said that Borhan Mansournia's family was under pressure to declare their son a "martyr."
Borhan Mansournia, 28, was a veterinary doctor and conscript who was injured by a live bullet fired by security forces during the protests on Saturday, November 15, in Kermanshah. He died 34 hours later in Taleghani Hospital in Kermanshah, and his family was forced to bury him at night in Marivan.
There are no accurate figures on the number of people killed in the November protests in Iran. The Islamic Republic's authorities refuse to provide official figures on the number of people killed and detained. Amnesty International has documented 304 cases, and Reuters, citing sources in the Iranian Interior Ministry, reported that around 1,500 people were killed during the November protests, as well as an order from the Iranian Supreme Leader to end the protests "by any means possible."
The Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has stated in a statement that the Iranian authorities' use of violence against protesters in Iran, including the use of firearms and weapons, has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, and that these government actions amount to a clear and unjustifiable violation of international law and must be stopped immediately.
A relative of Burhan Mansournia told the Campaign that “after the publication of news about Burhan, the IRGC intelligence summoned, interrogated, and threatened his father on Thursday: A Kurdish-language network with a large audience in Kurdistan published material about Burhan and summoned Burhan’s father. The IRGC intelligence interrogated and threatened Burhan’s father on Thursday. They are strongly opposed to the publication of any news about Burhan and the other dead, and they put pressure on the family with every piece of news that is published. Of course, this is not the first time that they have summoned Burhan’s father.”
Previously, another relative of Burhan Mansournia told the Campaign that “on the first day of Burhan’s funeral at the mosque, the security agencies called his father and said, ‘You have to come to Marivan Intelligence.’ His father resisted and said, ‘Anyone who has anything to do with me should come to the middle of the mosque. There are people there. We are also here.’ They called two or three times, and Burhan’s father did not go. A few days later, the IRGC Intelligence summoned Burhan’s father. It was not a threat. They suggested that the family come and become martyrs and receive blood money. Of course, this proposal to declare Burhan a martyr and pay blood money has been made many times, especially since he is a retired member of the Martyr Foundation. They also called once that the Friday imam, the governor of Marivan, the head of the Marivan IRGC, the head of the Martyr Foundation, and the representative of Marivan would come to your house to offer condolences. The family strongly objected, and Burhan’s father called the head of the Martyr Foundation and said, ‘My wife’s condition is not good, and I would appreciate it if you would not come.’ This is an extremely shameless proposal, and Burhan’s family will not sell Burhan’s blood.”
Now, one of his relatives has told the campaign about the continued pressure and the insistence of security officials to declare Burhan Mansournia a martyr: “The first pressure was that nothing should be said, that the family should not speak anywhere, and that they should not give interviews. Now the pressure is much, much greater. What they want is for government officials to come and for Burhan’s family to receive them. From the Friday prayer imam of Marivan to the governor and the IRGC intelligence representative, the family has not accepted them despite the pressure. They want to come with cameras, reporters, and photographers and use media propaganda to declare Burhan a martyr and his family the family of the martyr. They have said that they have filed a case and conducted an investigation, and the case is ready to declare Burhan a martyr, but so far they have not said even once why they killed Burhan and who his killer and killers are?”
According to him, “The pressure on families who have been interviewed and have made their children’s deaths public is greater than other families, and the insistence on declaring them martyrs is also greater. For example, the family of another victim in Marivan, who has lost their only guardian and is in dire financial need, had themselves asked to declare their child a martyr, but they have not been given a response. There are several other families in Marivan, but the pressure on Burhan’s family is completely contradictory to the reluctance and refusal towards other families, and in a way shows that the government is seeking to expropriate the dead whose deaths have been covered in detail by the media. On the other hand, Burhan was a police officer, and for the government, it seems that a police officer killed in protests and declared a martyr is an important propaganda tool that they are putting so much pressure on the family.”
One of Burhan's relatives continued in an interview with the campaign: "Burhan was one of the few people who survived to tell his family about the incident of being shot and killed before he was killed. He was alive 34 hours after being shot and had told everything. Burhan's friends and relatives have made everything public, although his family has remained silent due to pressure."
Source: Iran Human Rights Campaign
