Iran's Supreme Court Confirms Death Sentence For Protester

Mojahed (Abbas) Kourkour was taken into custody on December 20, 2022, following violent clashes between protesters and security forces near Izeh. Earlier this year, the judiciary issued a death sentence for Kourkour, designating him as the "main suspect" in the case involving the killing of 10-year-old Kian Pirfalak.

Pirfalak's family have explicitly blamed government forces for their son's death. On the evening of November 16 last year, the family's car, carrying Kian, his parents, and three-year-old brother Radin, was targeted by plainclothes individuals in Izeh. Kian’s father sustained severe injuries and was paralyzed during the shooting. Authorities claim the family car was attacked by "terrorists".

Contrary to official statements, Zeynab Molaei-Rad, Kian's mother, asserted that their car was shot by security forces and released a photo of herself with her hands in the hands of Kourkour's mother. Maysam Pirfalak, Kian's father, who was severely injured during the incident, also released a video rejecting the allegations against Kourkour following the judiciary's announcement.

Negar Kourkour, Mojahed's sister, said her brother's case had been transferred from the first branch of the revolutionary court in Ahvaz to a court in Izeh, southwest of Iran.