Sources from Erbil state that a second Iranian Kurdish asylum seeker has committed suicide in Erbil. According to the Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch, “Fardin Gerami” (a 23-year-old resident of Naqadeh) committed suicide on Monday, June 21, 2021, in one of the UN affiliated institutions (Qandil Institute).
Due to timely action he could be saved from death. Gerami had taken 40 sleeping pills to protest the UN’s failure to comply with his requests. He was immediately taken to Rizgari Hospital, where his stomach was rinsed by the hospital’s medical staff, and he survived the suicide attempt.
Fardin Gerami has been a political refugee in Iraqi Kurdistan for more than four years and is a close friend of Behzad Mahmoudi, who set himself on fire in front of the UN office in Erbil last month and eventually died, media reported. Mr. Gerami was present with Behzad Mahmoudi during the self-immolation.
A few days after Behzad Mahmoudi set himself on fire, it became clear that he was accused of murder and fugitive in Iran, as a video appeal of the murder victim’s family in Bokan – showing legal documents – was spread on social media.
Read more: Behzad Mahmoudi set himself on fire in Erbil
A few days after the tragic death of Behzad Mahmoudi, his fellow refugees participated in another public protest action. Saadi Mahmoudi, Fardin Gerami, Jafar Mostafazadeh and Akoollah Moradi – political refugees from Iranian Kurdistan – sewed their lips together in protest of the UN Office in Erbil not responding to their demands. In the photo above, Fardin Gerami can be seen on the right side of the image.
Despite holding several protest rallies in response to Behzad Mahmoudi’s self-immolation and the unfavorable conditions of Iranian Kurdish refugees in Erbil, the United Nations, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and even the consulates of the Islamic Republic have not taken significant steps to improve their situation.
