Golnar Samsami; Shot straight in the head

A relative of Golnar Samsami, who died from a gunshot wound in Shahriar on Sunday, November 16, said in an interview with the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that the bullet had hit her in the head and shattered her brain.

A video posted on social media shows a woman lying on the ground with blood spilled on the ground. People are gathered around her and a man says that “her head was pierced and she died.” On social media, the video of Golnar Samsami’s killing has been compared to the video of Neda Agha Soltan being killed in the post-election protests of 2009. A relative of Golnar Samsami told the campaign that this video is of her on Valiasr Shahriar Street, where she was shot in the head while returning from work while waiting for the agency with her colleague.

There is no exact figure for the number of people killed in last week’s protests in Iran. The Islamic Republic’s authorities refuse to provide official figures for the number of dead and those arrested. Amnesty International has put the death toll at at least 208, and the website Kalameh has declared “credible” that at least 366 people have been killed in recent protests in Iran.

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.

According to one of her relatives, Golnar Samsami worked in a laboratory in Rudaki Alley on Valiasr Shahriar Street. She was 34 years old, had an 8-year-old son, and lived in Fardis, Karaj: “After closing the laboratory, Golnar stood with her colleague at the intersection of the same alley as the laboratory, waiting for the agency to return home, but she never returned home. The person who shot her aimed at her head from the top of a building, and it is very important for us to catch her killer. We need to find out who it was and why. Whether it was from the Iranian government, a hypocrite, or anyone else, Golnar’s family wants to know how he was able to target and kill an innocent woman who was just standing there waiting for a car to come?”

He told the campaign: “If they really want to identify Golnar’s killer, they can find him very easily. The bullet was left in Golnar’s head. They can tell from the type of bullet what kind of weapon it was and who was in possession of it, and they clearly shot from the top of the nearby buildings where Golnar was standing.”

Golnar Samsami was taken to Sajjad Hospital after being shot. One of her relatives said: “Golnar’s colleague had beaten her family and informed them. At the hospital, they said she was brain dead and they didn’t give her body. They said you should go to the forensics. They also asked for a letter from the prosecutor’s office and said that they had sent the body to Kahrizak. Apparently, they had orders not to hand over the bodies in the first few days. Finally, after following up and receiving a letter from the prosecutor’s office, Golnar’s body was handed over on Thursday, November 20, and the funeral and burial ceremony were held. There were no special problems, and although the officers were present, they had nothing to do and everything was done as the family wanted. They cooperated a lot with the family because Golnar was innocent and the family had said from the beginning that they wanted Golnar to be declared a martyr.”

 He told the campaign that Golnar Samsami's death certificate stated "gunshot wound": "The prosecutor and his deputy, the head of the Basij and Friday Imam Shahriar came to visit Golnar's family, offered condolences, and said that they are working hard to find the killer. The family also said that Golnar was at work and was martyred on the way to work. Martyrdom on the way to work means that you work for your family, you serve your community, and this is considered a martyr all over the world. The family has filed a complaint and wants Golnar's killer to be identified, and after filing a complaint, they have also requested that she be declared a martyr. Because she was innocent and served her family and community, she was not in the demonstrations or anything."

According to one of Golnar Samsami's relatives, Channel 5 of the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation approached her family to interview her, but her family said, "You can't cure our pain. It was her own fault that she was lost and no one can bring her back."

Source: Iran Human Rights Campaign