Iranian President Orders Probe After 20-Year-Old Dies Following Self-Immolation During Food-stand Eviction

Iranian president orders probe after man dies from self-immolation amid food-stand eviction

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's president has ordered a special investigation after a 20-year-old man who set himself on fire following the closure of his family's food stand died of his injuries.

State-run IRNA reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday night called for an inquiry and offered condolences to the victim's family. The announcement came after authorities in the southwestern city of Ahvaz arrested a district mayor and the head of the municipality's enforcement arm in connection with the case; warrants have also been issued for three other people.

The victim, identified as Ahmad Baledi, succumbed to his wounds Tuesday after burns covered about 70% of his body. Baledi set himself ablaze on Nov. 2 in a park in Ahvaz in Khuzestan province as municipal workers were shutting down his family's food stand, which officials say was the household's only source of income.

Ahvaz municipality initially described the closure as a court-ordered eviction and said officials used "no coercive action." Following national attention to the case, Pezeshkian directed the interior ministry to open a special probe. IRNA later reported that the city's overall mayor resigned and four other municipal officials were dismissed over the affair.

There have been no reports of major demonstrations in Ahvaz, about 550 kilometers (340 miles) southwest of Tehran, but the case has reignited public debate about poverty and governance in Khuzestan. The oil-rich province has a history of unrest, driven in part by longstanding complaints from ethnic Arabs about discrimination and periodic protests over water shortages.

Editor’s note: This story contains discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, U.S. residents can call or text 988 for the national suicide and crisis lifeline, or use the chat at 988lifeline.org.