This page is dedicated to 29 people of Behbahan, a city in the province of Khuzestan. The first name on this list goes back to 25 Esfand 1389 and the last to 7 Esfand 1404. Of these 29 people, 17 were executed, 11 were killed in protests and one person lost their life in custody. Each of them had a home in Behbahan, a street in which they had grown up, and people who still speak their name.
Aban 1398 in Behbahan
What sets the list for Behbahan apart from many pages is the day 25 Aban 1398. On this single day 6 people of this city were killed, and this day is by far the day with the most names on this page. In the whole year 1398, 10 names from Behbahan are recorded in our list. The year 1404, with 16 names, has the largest share. The remaining names are scattered: one name in 1389 and 2 names in 1401.
The ages recorded on this page lie between 22 and 33 years, and the median is 27 years. That means none of those whose age we know lived beyond the age of thirty-three. On this list, as far as the sources say, neither an adolescent under 18 is recorded nor a woman whose being a woman a source has stated explicitly; this does not mean that there were none, only that we have not found a source for them.
Farzad Ansarifar
Farzad Ansarifar is one of those killed on 25 Aban 1398. He was 27 years old, “a construction worker” and unmarried. According to the sources, he “studied up to the second year of high school but left school because he needed to work to support his family.” Then he “worked independently in construction jobs such as tiling and mosaic work.” He “was interested in sport and went to the gym regularly,” and those around him considered him “a healthy, uncontroversial and ethical person.”
The source describes that the shooting came from behind and “a bullet struck Mr Ansarifar in the back of the head and he lost his life instantly.” Nevertheless, the forensic medicine report gave “being struck by a sharp object” as the cause of death. His family is still searching for answers. They are quoted as saying: “We told them, just tell us who gave the order to kill our child? But they still have not answered us.”
Mohabbat Mozaffari
Mohabbat Mozaffari lost his life in custody on 12 Bahman 1401; the only name on this page whose fate is death in custody. The source writes about him: “He was pursuing a doctorate in law.” The cause of his death is given in the source as follows: “as a result of torture and baton blows to the head.” His age is not recorded in the source we have. If any of his friends, classmates or colleagues knows more details, this page is the place for them.
Sources and the incompleteness of the list
These 29 names are not all of those from Behbahan who lost their lives. The real number is higher, many names were never published, and we add only a name for which we have found a source. Of the 29 people, a description of life is available for only 2. The sources of this page are varied: HRANA with 14 cases, IranWire and the Iran Human Rights Society with 10 cases each, Persian Wikipedia with 9 cases, the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center with 6 cases, Amnesty International with 6 cases, Radio Zamaneh with 4 cases, Iran Kargar and iranhrs.org with 2 cases each and the Free Union of Iranian Workers with one case. Some entries rest on only one source and may contain errors in the details.
If you knew one of these people of Behbahan, if you were in the streets of this city in Aban 1398 or have a memory of one of those executed, we ask you to share it with us or to tell us about any error you see on this page.