- Iranian security services collaborating with state media to falsely identify a dead protester as a Basij militiaman.
- Milad Ostad-Hashem, 37, was shot in the back on September 25 in Tehran.
- State TV and news organizations labelled him as a “martyr”.
Iranian security services are collaborating with state media to falsely identify a dead protester as a Basij militiaman.
According to his death certificate, Milad Ostad-Hashem, 37, was shot in the back on September 25 in Tehran with a live round.
A close source informed that his relatives claimed the gun was fired by the security officers.
However, security officials pressured them to go along with state media reports that he was a Basij member killed by “rioters”, the source added.
“Security forces threatened to kill their [Milad’s parents] two other sons and bury Milad’s body secretly in a remote place if they did not co-operate,” the source said.
Because of Milad’s daughter, who is eight years old, the family at last consented to the demands of the authorities.
“They wanted her to know where her father’s grave is,” the source said, adding that she still thought Milad would come back.
According to the source, the family was also made to pay roughly $700 (£630) for the cost of the bullet that was used to kill their son.
After taking part in protests in the capital, Milad was shot as he was riding a motorcycle.
CCTV footage, which media channel was able to secure, reveals what happened right after he was struck. He is seen stopping, throwing up blood, and then collapsing.
Another eyewitness-shot video shows onlookers examining Milad for signs of life before announcing that he has already died. Blood is seen to be all over his body.
“The bullet entered his lungs,” the source said.
State TV, on the other hand, presented a quite different story.
It identified Milad as a Basij member, a notorious militia that has participated in the violent crackdown carried out by the government to put an end to the anti-government rallies that have erupted across the nation.
A photograph of Milad engaging in religious rites was published by the government’s official publication and news organizations connected to the Revolutionary Guards, which governs the Basij, and labelled him as a “martyr.”
The source said: “He took part in religious rituals, but he also loved hip-hop music and hated this regime.”
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