Before setting his body on fire, 25-year-old Mahmudi said, “Do I have to live as I live because of my political activity? Is this life? We've been living like stray dogs for four years."
Behzad Mahmudi from East Kurdistan lost his life after setting his body on fire in front of the UN office in the city of Hewler in South Kurdistan to protest the poor living conditions.
Mahmudi, a former peshmerga fighter from East Kurdistan (Rojhilat), had to take refuge in South Kurdistan (Bashur) due to the death sentence given to him.
25-year-old Mahmudi went to the United Nations (UN) Hewlêr Office to ask help on May 18.
Mahmudî, whose request remained unanswered, burned himself by pouring fuel on his body to protest both the Kurdistan regional government and the UN in front of the journalists who followed his protest.
Having suffered serious injuries, Mahmudi died on the morning of May 24, after a treatment in intensive care for 6 days.
Before setting his body on fire, Mahmudi said, “Do I have to live as I live because of my political activity? Is this life? We've been living like stray dogs for four years."
“If I return to Iran, I will be executed. We no longer have shelters here except for public parks, mosques or constructions," he complained.
Mahmudi, who comes from the city of Bokan, applied to the UN to obtain political status in 2017. Mahmudi said that the KDP subjected Kurdish refugees to starvation as the UN did not meet their requests for assistance.
