Iran Executes Ahwazi Protester Mojahed (Abbas) Kourkour on Birthday of Slain Child Kian Pirfalak

Ahwaz – Iranian authorities have executed Mojahed (Abbas) Kourkour, an Ahwazi protester arrested during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising, after a controversial trial marred by conflicting narratives and allegations of torture.

The execution was carried out on Wednesday, June 12, the birthday of 10-year-old Kian Pirfalak, who was fatally shot during a violent crackdown in the city of Izeh in November 2022. Iranian officials had initially blamed Kourkour for the boy’s death, only to later modify the charges without clearing him of the accusation.

According to the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency, Kourkour was sentenced to death for “drawing a weapon with intent to kill and intimidate the public,” “spreading corruption on earth,” and “forming an armed group to rebel against the state.”

However, the sentence has been widely condemned by human rights organizations, who argue that the trial lacked transparency and failed to meet international standards. The family of Kian Pirfalak also publicly denied Kourkour’s involvement in the child’s killing, raising further doubts about the validity of the conviction.

Despite international appeals and local protests, Iranian authorities proceeded with the execution, which many view as part of an ongoing pattern of repression targeting Ahwazi Arabs and other ethnic minorities in Iran.