DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇱 Israel /Culture & Society

Iran regime targets grave of protest victim in ongoing effort to erase evidence of crackdown

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Iranian authorities vandalized the grave of Behnam Layqpour, a protester killed by security forces in 2022, according to human rights groups.
  • Layqpour's family reported that his body was returned under the condition of a false death certificate and that his grave has been previously vandalized.
  • The act is seen as part of the regime's ongoing effort to suppress dissent and erase evidence of its crackdown on the Women, Life, Freedom movement.

The gravestone of Behnam Layqpour, a 37-year-old tattoo artist killed by Iran's security forces during the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom protests, was vandalized in a Rasht cemetery, according to the Iranian legal network DadBaan. Human rights groups claim Layqpour's body was returned to his family after four days, with the condition that they report his death as a heart attack.

Layqpour's family told the citizen journalism site IranWire that he was shot at close range when he encountered a protest while with friends. His sister told DadBaan that each blow to his grave struck her mother's heart. "If only you knew that every blow you struck upon it landed on the heart of a mother who still breathes with his memory... landed on the soul of a sister who still waits in hope to see him... landed on the shoulders of a brother who carries the pain of his absence with him every day... and landed on the hearts of all those who would never trade their love for Behnam for anything," she said. "This act of yours is nothing but a display of disrespect and a fall from humanity, of which no trace remains!"

If only you knew that every blow you struck upon it landed on the heart of a mother who still breathes with his memory... landed on the soul of a sister who still waits in hope to see him... landed on the shoulders of a brother who carries the pain of his absence with him every day... and landed on the hearts of all those who would never trade their love for Behnam for anything. This act of yours is nothing but a display of disrespect and a fall from humanity, of which no trace remains!

— Layqpour's sisterDescribing the emotional impact of the grave vandalism on her family.

This is not the first time Layqpour's grave has been vandalized, his sister shared, noting that paint has been thrown on his resting place in prior incidents. A video circulating, reportedly taken on June 19, shows family members stating, "after three years and nine months, they still won’t leave this poor deceased person alone… We will not be defeated. We will rebuild it even more beautifully than before." They added, "No matter how much you destroy it, may you never find peace. Nothing is diminished from Behnam’s worth and values. Whoever did this to Behnam, may a curse be upon everything you have and everything you don’t have."

The Islamic Republic has a history of vandalizing the graves of its victims. In 2020, the resting site of executed wrestler Navid Afkari was destroyed. Last year, thousands of graves of individuals killed during protests were paved over.

after three years and nine months, they still won’t leave this poor deceased person alone… We will not be defeated. We will rebuild it even more beautifully than before. No matter how much you destroy it, may you never find peace. Nothing is diminished from Behnam’s worth and values. Whoever did this to Behnam, may a curse be upon everything you have and everything you don’t have.

— Layqpour's family membersReacting to the June 19 vandalism of Behnam Layqpour's grave.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog