Self-immolations killed at least two other veterans and injured the wife of a disabled veteran outside branches of the foundation in Tehran, Kermanshah and Qom in recent years.Īs the coronavirus pandemic wreaked economic havoc, suicides in Iran increased by over 4%, according to a government study cited by the reformist daily Etemad.įor many in the Middle East, the act of self-immolation - the protest used by a fruit vendor named Mohammed Bouazizi in Tunisia that became a catalyst for the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings - evokes broader discontent with economic woes and the lack of opportunity. Parazideh’s suicide was one of several in recent years that appear driven by economic hardships.
to sanction it in 2007 for supporting terrorism. The foundation is known to funnel financial support to Islamic militant organizations in the region, from Hezbollah in Lebanon to Hamas in Gaza, leading the U.S. In 2014, parliament launched an investigation into one of the main banks affiliated with the foundation for allegedly embezzling $5 million.
